title: Hemifusion in Synaptic Vesicle Cycle.
abstract: In the neuron, early neurotransmitters are released through the fusion pore prior to the complete vesicle fusion. It has been thought that the fusion pore is a gap junction-like structure made of transmembrane domains (TMDs) of soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive-factor attachment protein receptor (SNARE) proteins. However, evidence has accumulated that lipid mixing occurs prior to the neurotransmitter release through the fusion pore lined predominantly with lipids. To explain these observations, the hemifusion, a membrane structure in which two bilayers are partially merged, has emerged as a key step preceding the formation of the fusion pore. Furthermore, the hemifusion appears to be the bona fide intermediate step not only for the synaptic vesicle cycle, but for a wide range of membrane remodeling processes, such as viral membrane fusion and endocytotic membrane fission.
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetic Engineering, College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Sungkyunkwan University Suwon, South Korea.
authors.forename: Dae-Hyuk
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Kweon
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetic Engineering, College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Sungkyunkwan University Suwon, South Korea.
authors.forename: Byoungjae
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kong
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology, Iowa State University Ames, IA, USA.
authors.forename: Yeon-Kyun
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Shin
keywords: SNARE; fusion pore; hemifusion; membrane fusion; transmembrane domain