Model of SNARE-mediated membrane adhesion kinetics.

ABSTRACT: SNARE proteins are conserved components of the core fusion machinery driving diverse membrane adhesion and fusion processes in the cell. In many cases micron-sized membranes adhere over large areas before fusion. Reconstituted in vitro assays have helped isolate SNARE mechanisms in small membrane adhesion-fusion and are emerging as powerful tools to study large membrane systems by use of giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs). Here we model SNARE-mediated adhesion kinetics in SNARE-reconstituted GUV-GUV or GUV-supported bilayer experiments. Adhesion involves many SNAREs whose complexation pulls apposing membranes into contact. The contact region is a tightly bound rapidly expanding patch whose growth velocity v(patch) increases with SNARE density Gamma(snare). We find three patch expansion regi

SUBMITTER: Warner JM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2715897 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature