Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 2
Neurotoxins as Tools in Dissecting
the Exocytic Machinery
Michal Linial
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1. The Core of the Exocytic Machinery-the SNAREs
Membrane fusion takes place in all cell types in processes as basic as the
cell surface's growth up to regulated secretion found in nerve terminals. At
any given time a constant flow of membranes in the form of vesicles is on
transit between subcellular Compartments. Fusing and detaching of those
vesicles is the mode through which cargo is transferred between different
compartments or secreted from the cell surface membrane. Despite this
constant exchange of membranes between compartments, the identity
of each remains stable and the directionality of the process is maintained.
This flow, known as vesicle trafficking relies on precise recognition
between donor and acceptor membranes. Currently, we have a rather
detailed description of the proteins that are involved in such recognition
and eventually in fusion. In exploring such recognition and fusion events
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