Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 2, 2026
07:35
Immobilization of Caenorhabditis elegans to Analyze Intracellular Transport in Neurons
Published on: October 18, 2017
Essential roles of snap-29 in C. elegans
Junsu Kang1, Zhiyong Bai, Matthew H Zegarek
1Research Center for Functional Cellulomics, School of Biological Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Developmental Biology
|May 7, 2011
Summary
SNAP-29 is an essential gene in C. elegans, crucial for cell division and secretion. Its absence causes sterility and developmental defects by disrupting vesicle transport to the cell surface.
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Genetics
- Developmental Biology
Background:
- SNARE proteins mediate intracellular fusion events.
- SNAP25 family proteins are unique target-SNAREs with two SNARE domains.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize the C. elegans SNAP-29 gene.
- To investigate the role of SNAP-29 in cellular processes.
Main Methods:
- RNA interference (RNAi) for gene depletion.
- Genetic, molecular, and cell biological analyses.
- Confocal microscopy of SNAP-29-GFP fusion protein.
Main Results:
- snap-29 is essential throughout the C. elegans life cycle.
- Depletion causes sterility, defects in oocyte maturation, and multinucleated embryos due to failed cytokinesis.
- SNAP-29 is required for secretion in oocytes, embryos, and intestinal epithelial cells.
- SNAP-29 localizes to recycling endosomes and is vital for their morphology and function.
Conclusions:
- SNAP-29 is crucial for the secretory pathway, particularly in vesicle fusion with recycling endosomes.
- This function is essential for cargo transport to the cell surface, impacting development and reproduction.
