title: The structure of the yeast plasma membrane SNARE complex reveals destabilizing water-filled cavities.
abstract: SNARE proteins form a complex that leads to membrane fusion between vesicles, organelles, and plasma membrane in all eukaryotic cells. We report the 1.7A resolution structure of the SNARE complex that mediates exocytosis at the plasma membrane in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Similar to its neuronal and endosomal homologues, the S. cerevisiae SNARE complex forms a parallel four-helix bundle in the center of which is an ionic layer. The S. cerevisiae SNARE complex exhibits increased helix bending near the ionic layer, contains water-filled cavities in the complex core, and exhibits reduced thermal stability relative to mammalian SNARE complexes. Mutagenesis experiments suggest that the water-filled cavities contribute to the lower stability of the S. cerevisiae complex.
authors.affiliation: Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA.
authors.forename: Pavel
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Strop
authors.forename: Stephen E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Kaiser
authors.forename: Marija
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vrljic
authors.forename: Axel T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Brunger
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001665:Binding Sites; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000502:physiology*; D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray; D011992:Endosomes / Q000502:physiology; D005089:Exocytosis; D008958:Models, Molecular; D016296:Mutagenesis; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology; D011487:Protein Conformation; D050683:R-SNARE Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000502:physiology*; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D014867:Water
chemical_list: D050683:R-SNARE Proteins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; C083241:SNC1 protein, S cerevisiae; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; D014867:Water