Duman Joseph G, Forte John G
Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
Am J Physiol Cell Physiol. 2003 Aug;285(2):C237-49. doi: 10.1152/ajpcell.00091.2003.
Soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor activating protein receptor (SNARE) proteins have been at the fore-front of research on biological membrane fusion for some time. The subcellular localization of SNAREs and their ability to form the so-called SNARE complex may be integral to determining the specificity of intracellular fusion (the SNARE hypothesis) and/or serving as the minimal fusion machinery. Both the SNARE hypothesis and the idea of the minimal fusion machinery have been challenged by a number of experimental observations in various model systems, suggesting that SNAREs may have other functions. Considering recent advances in the SNARE literature, it appears that SNAREs may actually function as part of a complex fusion "machine." Their role in the machinery could be any one or a combination of roles, including establishing tight membrane contact, formation of a scaffolding on which to build the machine, binding of lipid surfaces, and many others. It is also possible that complexations other than the classic SNARE complex participate in membrane fusion.
可溶性N - 乙基马来酰亚胺敏感因子激活蛋白受体（SNARE）蛋白在生物膜融合研究领域处于前沿已有一段时间。SNARE蛋白的亚细胞定位及其形成所谓SNARE复合体的能力，对于确定细胞内融合的特异性（SNARE假说）和/或作为最小融合机制可能至关重要。SNARE假说和最小融合机制的观点在各种模型系统中受到了一些实验观察结果的挑战，这表明SNARE蛋白可能具有其他功能。考虑到SNARE文献的最新进展，似乎SNARE蛋白实际上可能作为复杂融合“机器”的一部分发挥作用。它们在该机制中的作用可能是任何一种或多种作用的组合，包括建立紧密的膜接触、形成构建该机器的支架、脂质表面的结合等等。经典SNARE复合体以外的复合物也有可能参与膜融合。
