title: Reconstituting SNARE-mediated membrane fusion at the single liposome level.
abstract: Successful reconstitutions of SNARE-mediated intracellular membrane fusion have been achieved in bulk fusion assays since 1998 and in single liposome fusion assays since 2004. Especially in neuronal presynaptic SNARE-mediated exocytosis, fusion is controlled by numerous accessory proteins, of which some functions have also been reconstituted in vitro. The development of and results obtained with two fundamentally different single liposome fusion assays, namely liposome-to-supported membrane and liposome-to-liposome, are reviewed. Both assays distinguish between liposome docking and fusion steps of the overall fusion reaction and both assays are capable of resolving hemi-and full-fusion intermediates and end states. They have opened new windows for elucidating the mechanisms of these fundamentally important cellular reactions with unprecedented time and molecular resolution. Although many of the molecular actors in this process have been discovered, we have only scratched the surface of looking at their fascinating plays, interactions, and choreographies that lead to vesicle traffic as well as neurotransmitter and hormone release in the cell.
authors.affiliation: Center for Membrane Biology and Department of Molecular Physiology and Biological Physics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA.
authors.forename: Volker
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Kiessling
authors.affiliation: Center for Membrane Biology and Department of Molecular Physiology and Biological Physics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA.
authors.forename: Binyong
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.affiliation: Center for Membrane Biology and Department of Molecular Physiology and Biological Physics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA.
authors.forename: Lukas K
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Tamm
mesh_terms: D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000502:physiology; D008051:Lipid Bilayers / Q000378:metabolism*; D008081:Liposomes / Q000378:metabolism*; D008561:Membrane Fusion / Q000502:physiology*; D051938:Munc18 Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D011485:Protein Binding; D050600:SNARE Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D008051:Lipid Bilayers; D008081:Liposomes; D051938:Munc18 Proteins; D050600:SNARE Proteins
keywords: Fluorescence; Fusion; Liposome; Mechanism; Membrane protein; Reconstitution; SNARE; Single molecule; Supported bilayer; Synaptotagmin