Wang G, Witkin J W, Hao G, Bankaitis V A, Scherer P E, Baldini G
Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY 10032, USA.
J Cell Sci. 1997 Feb;110 ( Pt 4):505-13. doi: 10.1242/jcs.110.4.505.
SNAP-25 is a synaptosomal associated protein localized at the plasma membrane of nerve terminals. SNAP-25 associates with syntaxin 1 and vesicle-associated membrane protein-2 (VAMP-2) and is thought to form a complex essential for neurotransmitter release. We have identified syndet, a novel protein related to the family of SNAP-25 isoforms. Like SNAP-25, syndet has regions with high probability of forming coiled coils, a cysteine rich-domain, and lacks a signal sequence or transmembrane domains. Syndet is tightly bound to membranes, possibly by acylation within the cysteine-rich domain. Syndet is expressed in non-neuronal tissues. In adipocytes, syndet is found at the plasma membrane and in an intracellular compartment. The identification of syndet supports the hypothesis that multiple SNAP-25 related proteins ensure specificity of vesicle fusion at the cell surface.
