Login / Signup

Complexins: Ubiquitously Expressed Presynaptic Regulators of SNARE-Mediated Synaptic Vesicle Fusion.

Francisco José López-MurciaKerstin ReimHolger Taschenberger
Published in: Advances in neurobiology (2023)
Neurotransmitter release is a spatially and temporally tightly regulated process, which requires assembly and disassembly of SNARE complexes to enable the exocytosis of transmitter-loaded synaptic vesicles (SVs) at presynaptic active zones (AZs). While the requirement for the core SNARE machinery is shared by most membrane fusion processes, SNARE-mediated fusion at AZs is uniquely regulated to allow very rapid Ca 2+ -triggered SV exocytosis following action potential (AP) arrival. To enable a sub-millisecond time course of AP-triggered SV fusion, synapse-specific accessory SNARE-binding proteins are required in addition to the core fusion machinery. Among the known SNARE regulators specific for Ca 2+ -triggered SV fusion are complexins, which are almost ubiquitously expressed in neurons. This chapter summarizes the structural features of complexins, models for their molecular interactions with SNAREs, and their roles in SV fusion.
Keyphrases
  • transcription factor
  • drug delivery
  • cancer therapy
  • climate change
  • risk assessment
  • single molecule