Dynamics of SNARE assembly and disassembly during sperm acrosomal exocytosis.

ABSTRACT: The dynamics of SNARE assembly and disassembly during membrane recognition and fusion is a central issue in intracellular trafficking and regulated secretion. Exocytosis of sperm's single vesicle--the acrosome--is a synchronized, all-or-nothing process that happens only once in the life of the cell and depends on activation of both the GTP-binding protein Rab3 and of neurotoxin-sensitive SNAREs. These characteristics make acrosomal exocytosis a unique mammalian model for the study of the different phases of the membrane fusion cascade. By using a functional assay and immunofluorescence techniques in combination with neurotoxins and a photosensitive Ca2+ chelator we show that, in unactivated sperm, SNAREs are locked in heterotrimeric cis complexes. Upon Ca2+ entry into the cytoplasm, Rab3 i

SUBMITTER: De Blas GA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1197286 | biostudies-literature | 2005 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature