Exploring the structural dynamics of the vesicle priming machinery

Various cell types release neurotransmitters, hormones and many other compounds that are stored in secretory vesicles by exocytosis via the formation of a fusion pore traversing the vesicular membrane and the plasma membrane. This process of membrane fusion is mediated by the Soluble N-ethylmaleimide-Sensitive Factor Attachment Proteins REceptor (SNARE) protein complex, which in neurons and neuroendocrine cells is composed of the vesicular SNARE protein Synaptobrevin and the plasma membrane proteins Syntaxin and SNAP25 (Synaptosomal-Associated Protein of 25 kDa). Before a vesicle can undergo fusion and release of its contents, it must dock at the plasma membrane and undergo a process named 'priming', which makes it ready for release. The primed vesicles form the readily releasable pool, from which they can be rapidly released in response to stimulation. The stimulus is an increase in Ca2+ concentration near the fusion site, which is sensed primarily by the vesicular Ca2+ sensor Synaptotagmin. Vesicle priming involves at least the SNARE proteins as well as Synaptotagmin and the accessory proteins Munc18, Munc13, and Complexin but additional proteins may also participate in this process. This review discusses the current views of the interactions and the structural changes that occur among the proteins of the vesicle priming machinery.