Regulated exocytosis: merging ideas on fusing membranes.
Cellular trafficking pathways end with fusion reactions at the target. These reactions have been studied extensively for many decades, but recent studies have been particularly productive in providing new solutions to old problems, especially in some of the most complex fusion reactions, like synaptic vesicle secretion in neurons. Here, we discuss new studies that begin to merge ideas on three central questions: (A) are all releasable vesicles equally likely to undergo fusion, (B) do different fusion modes contribute to synaptic transmission, and (C) which molecular events are 'upstream' and which ones 'downstream' of SNARE complex assembly.
Verhage
Matthijs
M
Department of Functional Genomics, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VUA) and VU University Medical Center (VUmc), De Boelelaan 1087, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands. matthijs@cncr.vu.nl
Toonen
Ruud Fg
RF
D002459:Cell Fusion; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000502:physiology*; D005089:Exocytosis / Q000502:physiology*; D008561:Membrane Fusion / Q000502:physiology*; D050600:SNARE Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D015398:Signal Transduction
D050600:SNARE Proteins