Seven Novel Mammalian SNARE Proteins Localize to Distinct Membrane Compartments*
- Raj J. Advani‡,
- Hae-Rahn Bae‡,
- Jason B. Bock‡,
- Daniel S. Chao‡,
- Yee-Cheen Doung‡,
- Rytis Prekeris‡,
- Jin-San Yoo‡ and
- Richard H. Scheller§
- From the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305-5345
Abstract
SolubleN-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor-attachment protein receptor (SNARE) proteins of the vesicle-associated membrane protein (VAMP) and syntaxin families play a central role in vesicular trafficking through the formation of complexes between proteins present on vesicle and target membranes. Formation of these complexes is proposed to mediate aspects of the specificity of vesicle trafficking and to promote fusion of the lipid bilayers. In order to further understand the molecular mechanisms that organize membrane compartments, we have characterized seven new mammalian proteins of the VAMP and syntaxin families. The proteins are broadly expressed; however, syntaxin 13 is enriched in brain and VAMP 8 in kidney. The seven novel SNAREs localize in distinct patterns overlapping with Golgi, endosomal, or lysosomal markers. Our studies support the hypothesis that evolutionary radiation of these two gene families gave rise to sets of proteins whose differential expression and combinatorial associations define and organize the membrane compartments of cells.
Footnotes
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↵* The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of page charges. The article must therefore be hereby marked “advertisement” in accordance with 18 U.S.C. Section 1734 solely to indicate this fact.
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↵‡ These authors contributed equally and are listed in alphabetical order.
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↵§ To whom correspondence should be addressed. Tel.: 415-723-9075; Fax: 415-725-4436; E-mail: scheller{at}cmgm.stanford.edu.
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↵1 The abbreviations used are: v-SNARE, SNARE on vesicle; ER, endoplasmic reticulum; EST, expressed sequence tag; lgp120, lysosomal glycoprotein of 120 kDa; NRK, normal rat kidney; PCR, polymerase chain reaction; SNAP-25, synaptosome-associated protein of 25 kDa, SNARE, soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor-attachment protein receptor; TGN, trans-Golgi network; t-SNARE, SNARE on target membrane; VAMP, vesicle-associated membrane protein; bp, base pair(s); kb, kilobase(s).
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- Received December 10, 1997.
- Revision received February 9, 1998.
- The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.
