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Related Experiment Videos

Hemifusion in Synaptic Vesicle Cycle.

Dae-Hyuk Kweon1, Byoungjae Kong1, Yeon-Kyun Shin2

  • 1Department of Genetic Engineering, College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Sungkyunkwan University Suwon, South Korea.

Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience
|April 1, 2017
PubMed
Summary

Neurotransmitter release involves a fusion pore, but new evidence suggests lipids, not SNARE proteins, primarily form it. Hemifusion, a partial membrane merge, is a key step before pore formation in vesicle cycling and other membrane processes.

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Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Neuroscience
  • Membrane Biophysics

Background:

  • Neurotransmitter release occurs via fusion pores before complete vesicle fusion.
  • The fusion pore was previously thought to be protein-based (SNARE proteins).
  • Emerging evidence indicates lipid involvement in fusion pore formation and function.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To re-evaluate the composition and role of the fusion pore in neurotransmitter release.
  • To highlight the significance of hemifusion as a preceding intermediate step.
  • To connect fusion pore dynamics to broader membrane remodeling processes.

Main Methods:

  • Review of accumulated evidence on vesicle fusion and neurotransmitter release.
  • Analysis of experimental data suggesting lipid mixing precedes neurotransmitter release.
Keywords:
SNAREfusion porehemifusionmembrane fusiontransmembrane domain

Related Experiment Videos

  • Theoretical modeling of membrane fusion intermediates.

    • Main Results:

    • Lipid mixing occurs before neurotransmitter release through the fusion pore.
    • The fusion pore is lined predominantly by lipids, challenging the protein-only model.
    • Hemifusion is identified as a critical intermediate step before fusion pore formation.

    Conclusions:

    • Hemifusion is a fundamental intermediate in synaptic vesicle cycling.
    • The fusion pore's lipidic nature is crucial for neurotransmitter release.
    • Hemifusion is a conserved mechanism in various membrane fusion and fission events, including viral entry and endocytosis.