Symmetrical organization of proteins under docked synaptic vesicles.
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT: During calcium-regulated exocytosis, the constitutive fusion machinery is 'clamped' in a partially assembled state until synchronously released by calcium. The protein machinery involved in this process is known, but the supra-molecular architecture and underlying mechanisms are unclear. Here, we use cryo-electron tomography analysis in nerve growth factor-differentiated neuro-endocrine (PC12) cells to delineate the organization of the release machinery under the docked vesicles. We find that exactly six exocytosis modules, each likely consisting of a single SNAREpin with its bound Synaptotagmins, Complexin, and Munc18 proteins, are symmetrically arranged at the vesicle-PM interface. Mutational analysis suggests that the symmetrical organization is templated by circular oligomers of Synaptotagmin. The observed arrangement, including its precise radial positioning, is in-line with the recently proposed 'buttressed ring hypothesis'.
SUBMITTER: Li X
PROVIDER: S-EPMC6353562 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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