title: Membranes of the world unite!
abstract: Despite diverse origins, cellular fusion mechanisms converge at a pathway of phospholipid bilayer fusion. In this mini-review, we discuss how proteins can mediate each of the three major stages in the fusion pathway: contact, hemifusion, and the opening of an expanding fusion pore.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Biophysics, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. chernoml@mail.nih.gov
authors.forename: Leonid V
authors.initials: LV
authors.lastname: Chernomordik
authors.forename: Joshua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zimmerberg
authors.forename: Michael M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Kozlov
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008051:Lipid Bilayers / Q000378:metabolism*; D008561:Membrane Fusion; D010743:Phospholipids / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D008051:Lipid Bilayers; D010743:Phospholipids