title: Single-molecule FRET study of SNARE-mediated membrane fusion.
abstract: Membrane fusion is one of the most important cellular processes by which two initially distinct lipid bilayers merge their hydrophobic cores, resulting in one interconnected structure. Proteins, called SNARE (soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor-attachment protein receptor), play a central role in the fusion process that is also regulated by several accessory proteins. In order to study the SNARE-mediated membrane fusion, the in vitro protein reconstitution assay involving ensemble FRET (fluorescence resonance energy transfer) has been used over a decade. In this mini-review, we describe several single-molecule-based FRET approaches that have been applied to this field to overcome the shortage of the bulk assay in terms of protein and fusion dynamics.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Center for the Physics of Living Cells, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA. diaojj@stanford.edu
authors.forename: Jiajie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Diao
authors.forename: Yuji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ishitsuka
authors.forename: Woo-Ri
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Bae
mesh_terms: D031541:Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer / Q000379:methods*; D007700:Kinetics; D008051:Lipid Bilayers / Q000737:chemistry; D008081:Liposomes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D008561:Membrane Fusion / Q000502:physiology*; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D011485:Protein Binding; D011487:Protein Conformation; D050600:SNARE Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D033921:Vesicular Transport Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D008051:Lipid Bilayers; D008081:Liposomes; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D050600:SNARE Proteins; D033921:Vesicular Transport Proteins