Membrane lipids couple synaptotagmin to SNARE-mediated granule fusion in insulin-secreting cells

Insulin secretion depends on the Ca²⁺-regulated fusion of granules with the plasma membrane. A recent model of Ca²⁺-triggered exocytosis in secretory cells proposes that lipids in the plasma membrane couple the calcium sensor Syt1 to the membrane fusion machinery (Kiessling et al., 2018). Specifically, Ca²⁺-mediated binding of Syt1's C2 domains to the cell membrane shifts the membrane-anchored SNARE syntaxin-1a to a more fusogenic conformation, straightening its juxtamembrane linker. To test this model in live cells and extend it to insulin secretion, we enriched INS1 cells with a panel of lipids with different acyl chain compositions. Fluorescence lifetime measurements demonstrate that cells with more disordered membranes show an increase in fusion efficiency, and vice versa. Experiments with granules purified from INS1 cells and recombinant SNARE proteins reconstituted in supported membranes confirmed that lipid acyl chain composition determines SNARE conformation and that lipid disordering correlates with increased fusion. Addition of Syt1's C2AB domains significantly decreased lipid order in target membranes and increased SNARE-mediated fusion probability. Strikingly, Syt's action on both fusion and lipid order could be partially bypassed by artificially increasing unsaturated phosphatidylserines in the target membrane. Thus, plasma membrane lipids actively participate in coupling Ca²⁺/synaptotagmin-sensing to the SNARE fusion machinery in cells.