Mechanisms of Neurological Dysfunction in GOSR2 Progressive Myoclonus Epilepsy, a Golgi SNAREopathy

Successive fusion events between transport vesicles and their target membranes mediate trafficking of secreted, membrane- and organelle-localised proteins. During the initial steps of this process, termed the secretory pathway, COPII vesicles bud from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and fuse with the cis-Golgi membrane, thus depositing their cargo. This fusion step is driven by a quartet of SNARE proteins that includes the cis-Golgi t-SNARE Membrin, encoded by the GOSR2 gene. Mis-sense mutations in GOSR2 result in Progressive Myoclonus Epilepsy (PME), a severe neurological disorder characterised by ataxia, myoclonus and seizures in the absence of significant cognitive impairment. However, given the ubiquitous and essential function of ER-to-Golgi transport, why GOSR2 mutations cause neurological dysfunction and not lethality or a broader range of developmental defects has remained an enigma. Here we highlight new work that has shed light on this issue and incorporate insights into canonical and non-canonical secretory trafficking pathways in neurons to speculate as to the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying GOSR2 PME. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: SNARE proteins: a long journey of science in brain physiology and pathology: from molecular.