SNARE Syntaxin

Synaptic exocytosis involves three SNARE proteins the R-SNARE synaptobrevin/VAMP (isoforms 1 and 2) on the vesicle, and the Q-SNAREs syntaxin (isoforms 1 and 2) and SNAP-25 on the plasma membrane (Figure 4). Since SNAP-25 has two SNARE-motifs, synaptobrevin, syntaxin, and SNAP-25 together have four SNARE-motifs. Synaptobrevins and SNAP-25 are relatively simple SNARE proteins that are composed of little else besides SNARE motifs and membrane-attachment sequences (a transmembrane region for synaptobrevin, and a cysteine-rich palmitoylated sequence for SNAP-25). Syntaxins, in contrast, are complex proteins. The N-terminal two-thirds of syntaxins include a separate, autonomously folded domain (the so-called Habc-domain), while the C-terminal third is composed of a SNARE motif and transmembrane region just like synaptobrevin. 

In addition to the proteins discussed above, neuronal SNAREs were reported to interact with numerous other proteins in a specific manner, but in most cases both the structural basis and the biological function of these interactions need to be defined. For instance, synaptophysin, a membrane protein of synaptic vesicles, forms a complex with synaptobrevin in which synaptobrevin is not available for interactions with its partner SNAREs syntaxin 1A and SNAP-25, suggesting that this complex represents a reserve pool of recruitable synaptobrevin (Becher et al. 1999) or regulates interactions between the vesicle-associated synaptobrevin and the plasmalem-mal SNAREs. Alternatively, it has been suggested that this complex is involved in synaptobrevin sorting to synaptic vesicles. 

Pagan, J.K., Wylie, F.G., Joseph, S., Widberg, C., Bryant, N.J., James, D.E., Stow, J.L. The t-SNARE syntaxin 4 is regulated during macrophage activation to function in membrane traffic and cytokine secretion. Curr Biol 13 (2003) 156-160. 

In neurons, the SNARE complex consists of three main proteins the v-SNARE synaptobrevin or VAMP (vesicle-associated membrane protein), and two t-SNAREs, syntaxin and SNAP-25 (synaptosomal associated protein of 25 kD). Synaptobrevins traverse the synaptic vesicle membrane in an asymmetric manner a few amino acids are found inside the vesicle, but most of the molecule lies outside the vesicle, within the cytoplasm. Synaptobrevin makes contact with another protein anchored to the plasma membrane of the presynaptic neuron, syntaxin, which is associated with SNAP-25. Via these interactions, the SNARE proteins play a role in the docking and fusion of synaptic vesicles to the active zone. 

In the sea urchin embryo, cells moving from the mesoderm to the ectoderm secrete SNARE proteins (soluble NSF attachment protein receptor, N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor), syntaxin, vesicle-associated membrane protein (VAMP) and Rab3 in order to break ceU adhesions (intercellular matrix) for their locomotion [522]. SNARE, syntaxins, VAMP and SNAP (soluble NSF-attachment protein), physiological directors of cellular traffic, are predecessors of the metalloproteinases (MMPs), that cancer cells secrete for the clearance of intercellular passageways for their locomotion (invasiveness). 

The light chains of the clostridial neurotoxins are metalloproteases with exclusive specificity for neuronal SNAREs. TeNT, BoNTs B,D,F, and G cleave synapto-brevin, BoNTs A and E SNAP-25, and BoNT/Cl syntaxin, and to a lesser extent also SNAP-25. Cleavage of any of the SNAREs causes complete and irreversible block of synaptic transmission. 

A second mechanism that impinges on the localization of transporters is through the association with proteins, the most prominent example being syntaxin. Syntaxin is a t-SNARE protein necessary for the fusion of vesicles with the plasma membrane (see the chapter on exocytosis). On the cell surface syntaxin consistently stabilizes the localization of GABA, noradrenaline, glycine, and 5HT transporters the PKCa isoform can sever the interaction with syntaxin suggesting a general mechanism for transporter internalization. 

All botulin neurotoxins act in a similar way. They only differ in the amino-acid sequence of some protein parts (Prabakaran et al., 2001). Botulism symptoms are provoked both by oral ingestion and parenteral injection. Botulin toxin is not inactivated by enzymes present in the gastrointestinal tracts. Foodborne BoNT penetrates the intestinal barrier, presumably due to transcytosis. It is then transported to neuromuscular junctions within the bloodstream and blocks the secretion of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. This results in muscle limpness and palsy caused by selective hydrolysis of soluble A-ethylmalemide-sensitive factor activating (SNARE) proteins which participate in fusion of synaptic vesicles with presynaptic plasma membrane. SNARE proteins include vesicle-associated membrane protein (VAMP), synaptobrevin, syntaxin, and synaptosomal associated protein of 25 kDa (SNAP-25). Their degradation is responsible for neuromuscular palsy due to blocks in acetylcholine transmission from synaptic terminals. In humans, palsy caused by BoNT/A lasts four to six months. 

Other proteins are also needed. All cell fusion processes seem to require regulatory proteins that are essential to neurotransmission in the nematode C. elegans. Two of these are encoded by the nematode genes unc-13 and unc-18. The corresponding mammalian proteins munc-13 and munc-18 interact with syntaxin and are essential for exocytosis of synaptic vesicles.572 575 An ATPase is also needed for correct functioning of the SNARE complex574 as are other additional proteins.570... 

The SNAREs involved in the fusion of synaptic vesicles and of secretory granules in neuroendocrine cells, referred to as neuronal SNAREs, have been intensely studied and serve as a paradigm for all SNAREs. They include syntaxin 1A and SNAP-25 at the presynaptic membrane and synaptobrevin 2 (also referred to as VAMP 2) at the vesicle membrane. Their importance for synaptic neurotransmission is documented by the fact that the block in neurotransmitter release caused by botulinum and tetanus neurotoxins is due to proteolysis of the neuronal SNAREs (Schiavo et al. 2000). Genetic deletion of these SNAREs confirmed their essential role in the last steps of neurotransmitter release. Intriguingly, analysis of chromaffin cells from KO mice lacking synaptobrevin or SNAP-25 showed that these proteins can be at least partially substituted by SNAP-23 and cellubrevin, respectively (Sorensen et al. 2003 Borisovska et al. 2005), i.e., the corresponding SNAREs involved in constitutive exocytosis. 

Fig. 1 Structure of the neuronal SNAREs. Upper panel domain structure of the three neuronal SNARE proteins involved in synaptic vesicle fusion. Syntaxin 1A and SNAP-25 (contains two SNARE motifs) are associated with the presynaptic membrane, whereas synaptobrevin 2 is synaptic vesicle associated. The SNARE motifs form a stable complex (core complex) whose crystal structure has been analyzed (lower panel). In the complex, each of the SNARE motifs adopts an alpha-helical structure, and the four alpha-helices are aligned in parallel forming a twisted bundle (modified from Sutton et al. 1998). Stability of the complex is mediated by layers of interaction (—7 to +8) in which amino acids from each of the four alpha-helices participate (see text).

Synaptobrevin 2 is a small protein composed of 118 amino acids. It contains a SNARE motif with a short N-terminal proline-rich extension but lacks an independently folded N-terminal domain. Like syntaxin 1, the protein possesses a C-terminal transmembrane domain that is connected to the SNARE motif by a short linker (Figure 1). Synaptobrevin is palmitoylated at cysteine residues close to its transmembrane domain. Synaptobrevin 2 is highly expressed in neurons and neuroendocrine cells, but unlike syntaxin 1 it is also present in many non-neuronal tissues albeit at low levels. 

Qb-, Qc- and R-SNAREs (Bock and Scheller 2001). Following this classification, syntaxin 1A, SNAP-25, and synaptobrevin 2 represent the Qa-, Qb- and Qc-, and R-SNAREs, respectively (Fasshauer et al. 1998). It turned out later that actually all functional SNARE complexes assigned to trafficking steps in yeast and mammals have a QaQbQcR-composition (Hong 2005 Jahn and Scheller 2006). 

Fig. 3 muncl8-l SNARE-binding modes. The following muncl8-l interactions with monomeric/ assembled SNAREs have been proposed. From left, binding of muncl8-l to a closed conformation of syntaxin 1A (Misura et al. 2000), to a half-open conformation of syntaxin or to an acceptor complex formed by syntaxin and SNAP-25 (Zilly et al. 2006), and to an assembled SNARE complex (Dulubova et al. 2007). It is possible that each of the proposed complexes represents an intermediate on a munc 8-l controlled molecular pathway of specific SNARE complex assembly. 

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