SNARE protein mediated membrane fusion and disassembly of SNARE complex

From neuronal communications to NSF mediated SNARE complex disassembly. For neuronal communications, synaptic vesicles fuse to the plasma membrane using SNARE proteins to release neurotransmitters. It is well known that SNARE proteins are the minimal machinery for vesicle fusion, and they form a coiled-coil structure. After vesicle fusion, SNARE proteins are disassembled by NSF/SNAP proteins and the SNARE proteins are reused. It is now confirmed that NSF disassembles a single SNARE complex utilizing one-round ATP hydrolysis and in one-step reaction via a spring-loaded mechanism. Ryu, J.K., Min, D., Rah, S.H., Kim, S.J., Park, Y., Kim, H., Hyeon, C., Kim, H.M., Jahn, R., and Yoon, T.Y. (2015). Spring-loaded unraveling of a single SNARE complex by NSF in one round of ATP turnover. Science 347, 1485–1489.