Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Fusion of Secretory Vesicles with the Plasma Membrane01:26

Fusion of Secretory Vesicles with the Plasma Membrane

Proteins and neurotransmitters in secretory vesicles can be released from a cell upon vesicle docking, priming, and fusion with the plasma membrane. Vesicles are docked and primed in preparation for the quick exocytosis of their contents in response to a stimulus. The fusion process is mainly carried out by a SNAP Receptor or SNARE complex, consisting of synaptobrevin, syntaxin-1, and SNAP-25.
In 1993, Jim Rothman proposed that the antiparallel pairing of vesicular and transmembrane SNAREs, or...
Enlargement of the Plasma Membrane01:22

Enlargement of the Plasma Membrane

Cell division and enlargement are processes that require precise control. The control ensures that cell division cannot proceed unless the cell has grown to a specific size. A spherical, dividing cell requires an approximately 1.6X increase in its surface area to double its volume. The secretory pathway also has a significant role in cell membrane enlargement. Secretory vesicles that bud off from the Golgi apparatus and later fuse with the plasma membrane during exocytosis are a major source of...
Mitochondrial Membranes01:45

Mitochondrial Membranes

A single mitochondrion is a bean-shaped organelle enclosed by a double-membrane system. The outer membrane of mitochondria is smooth and contains many porins - the integral membrane transporters. Porins enable free diffusion of ions and small uncharged molecules through the outer mitochondrial membrane but limit the transport of molecules larger than 5000 Daltons. Further, the outer mitochondrial membrane forms a unique structure called membrane contact sites with other subcellular organelles,...
SNAREs and Membrane Fusion01:43

SNAREs and Membrane Fusion

Once a transport vesicle has recognized its target organelle, the vesicular membrane needs to fuse with the target membrane to unload the cargo. Transmembrane proteins called SNAREs present on organelle membranes and their vesicles, mediate vesicle fusion.
SNAREs exist in pairs that symmetrically interact and catalyze the fusion of the lipid bilayers in vesicle and target organelle. v-SNARE in the vesicle membrane are single polypeptide chains that bind to a complementary t-SNARE, composed of 2...
Mitochondrial Membranes01:45

Mitochondrial Membranes

A single mitochondrion is a bean-shaped organelle enclosed by a double-membrane system. The outer membrane of mitochondria is smooth and contains many porins - the integral membrane transporters. Porins enable free diffusion of ions and small uncharged molecules through the outer mitochondrial membrane but limit the transport of molecules larger than 5000 Daltons. Further, the outer mitochondrial membrane forms a unique structure called membrane contact sites with other subcellular organelles,...
What are Membranes?01:24

What are Membranes?

A cell's plasma membrane demarcates the cell's borders and determines the nature of its interaction with the environment. Cells exclude certain substances, take in others, and excrete some others in controlled quantities. The plasma membrane must be flexible to allow certain cells, such as red and white blood cells, to change their shape while passing through narrow capillaries. These are the more obvious plasma membrane functions. In addition, the plasma membrane's surface carries markers that...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

A versatile nanobody platform for live and super-resolution imaging of synaptic vesicle dynamics and plasticity in rodent and human neurons.

Journal of nanobiotechnology·2026
Same author

Synaptophysin accelerates synaptic vesicle fusion by expanding the membrane upon neurotransmitter loading.

Science advances·2025
Same author

Isolating Synaptic Vesicles from Neurospheres for Proteomics.

Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.)·2024
Same author

Intermediate steps in the formation of neuronal SNARE complexes.

The Journal of biological chemistry·2024
Same author

Rab GTPases and phosphoinositides fine-tune SNAREs dependent targeting specificity of intracellular vesicle traffic.

Nature communications·2024
Same author

Vesicle condensation induced by synapsin: condensate size, geometry, and vesicle shape deformations.

The European physical journal. E, Soft matter·2024
Same journal

A viral ORFeome library for systems-level genetic dissection of host-pathogen interactions.

Cell·2026
Same journal

Co-option of lysosomal machinery shapes the evolution of the intracellular photosymbiosis supporting coral reefs.

Cell·2026
Same journal

LEF1 and niche factors determine T cell stemness across chronic diseases.

Cell·2026
Same journal

Recurrent patterns of TOP1-mediated neuronal genomic damage shared by major neurodegenerative disorders.

Cell·2026
Same journal

Four-dimensional molecular mapping from a spatial snapshot reveals the dynamics of hair follicle organogenesis.

Cell·2026
Same journal

Whole-cell particle-based digital twin simulations from 4D lattice light-sheet microscopy data.

Cell·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 11, 2026

Cell Electrofusion Visualized with Fluorescence Microscopy
05:02

Cell Electrofusion Visualized with Fluorescence Microscopy

Published on: July 2, 2010

Membrane fusion.

Reinhard Jahn1, Thorsten Lang, Thomas C Südhof

  • 1Department of Neurobiology, Max-Planck-Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, 37077 Göttingen, Germany. rjahn@gwdg.de

Cell
|February 26, 2003
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Membrane fusion merges lipid bilayers, a vital biological process. Diverse proteins catalyze this essential cellular function by bringing membranes together to initiate lipid mixing.

More Related Videos

SNARE-mediated Fusion of Single Proteoliposomes with Tethered Supported Bilayers in a Microfluidic Flow Cell Monitored by Polarized TIRF Microscopy
10:58

SNARE-mediated Fusion of Single Proteoliposomes with Tethered Supported Bilayers in a Microfluidic Flow Cell Monitored by Polarized TIRF Microscopy

Published on: August 24, 2016

Detergent-free Ultrafast Reconstitution of Membrane Proteins into Lipid Bilayers Using Fusogenic Complementary-charged Proteoliposomes.
11:10

Detergent-free Ultrafast Reconstitution of Membrane Proteins into Lipid Bilayers Using Fusogenic Complementary-charged Proteoliposomes.

Published on: April 5, 2018

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 11, 2026

Cell Electrofusion Visualized with Fluorescence Microscopy
05:02

Cell Electrofusion Visualized with Fluorescence Microscopy

Published on: July 2, 2010

SNARE-mediated Fusion of Single Proteoliposomes with Tethered Supported Bilayers in a Microfluidic Flow Cell Monitored by Polarized TIRF Microscopy
10:58

SNARE-mediated Fusion of Single Proteoliposomes with Tethered Supported Bilayers in a Microfluidic Flow Cell Monitored by Polarized TIRF Microscopy

Published on: August 24, 2016

Detergent-free Ultrafast Reconstitution of Membrane Proteins into Lipid Bilayers Using Fusogenic Complementary-charged Proteoliposomes.
11:10

Detergent-free Ultrafast Reconstitution of Membrane Proteins into Lipid Bilayers Using Fusogenic Complementary-charged Proteoliposomes.

Published on: April 5, 2018

Area of Science:

  • Cellular Biology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Membrane fusion is a fundamental biological process where two lipid bilayers merge into one.
  • This process is crucial for various cellular functions, including transport and signaling.
  • Diverse proteins catalyze membrane fusion, ensuring specificity and efficiency.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the common principles and diverse mechanisms of protein-catalyzed membrane fusion.
  • To understand how proteins mediate membrane recognition, proximity, and destabilization for bilayer merging.
  • To highlight the regulatory roles of protein complexes in intracellular fusion events.

Main Methods:

  • Comparative analysis of known membrane fusion events.
  • Review of protein structures and functions involved in fusion.
  • Examination of lipid-protein interactions during membrane merging.

Main Results:

  • Membrane fusion proteins share common functional principles despite diverse structures.
  • Proteins mediate initial membrane recognition and bring bilayers into close proximity.
  • Destabilization of the lipid/water interface and lipid mixing are key outcomes of fusion.
  • Intracellular fusion may involve complex protein assemblies for precise regulation.

Conclusions:

  • Cellular fusion machines, though adapted for specific needs, operate on universal principles.
  • Protein catalysis is essential for regulating the fundamental process of membrane fusion.
  • Understanding these mechanisms provides insight into cellular organization and function.