Ca2+-dependent synaptotagmin binding to SNAP-25 is essential for Ca2+-triggered exocytosis

Synaptotagmin is a proposed Ca2+ sensor on the vesicle for regulated exocytosis and exhibits Ca2+-dependent binding to phospholipids, syntaxin, and SNAP-25 in vitro, but the mechanism by which Ca2+ triggers membrane fusion is uncertain. Previous studies suggested that SNAP-25 plays a role in the Ca2+ regulation of secretion. We found that synaptotagmins I and IX associate with SNAP-25 during Ca2+-dependent exocytosis in PC12 cells, and we identified C-terminal amino acids in SNAP-25 (Asp179, Asp186, Asp193) that are required for Ca2+-dependent synaptotagmin binding. Replacement of SNAP-25 in PC12 cells with SNAP-25 containing C-terminal Asp mutations led to a loss-of-function in regulated exocytosis at the Ca2+-dependent fusion step. These results indicate that the Ca2+-dependent interaction of synaptotagmin with SNAP-25 is essential for the Ca2+-dependent triggering of membrane fusion.     

Calmodulin and lipid binding to synaptobrevin regulates calcium-dependent exocytosis

Neurotransmitter release involves the assembly of a heterotrimeric SNARE complex composed of the vesicle protein synaptobrevin (VAMP 2) and two plasma membrane partners, syntaxin 1 and SNAP-25. Calcium influx is thought to control this process via Ca(2+)-binding proteins that associate with components of the SNARE complex. Ca(2+)/calmodulin or phospholipids bind in a mutually exclusive fashion to a C-terminal domain of VAMP (VAMP(77-90)), and residues involved were identified by plasmon resonance spectroscopy. Microinjection of wild-type VAMP(77-90), but not mutant peptides, inhibited catecholamine release from chromaffin cells monitored by carbon fibre amperometry. Pre-incubation of PC12 pheochromocytoma cells with the irreversible calmodulin antagonist ophiobolin A inhibited Ca(2+)-dependent human growth hormone release in a permeabilized cell assay. Treatment of permeabilized cells with tetanus toxin light chain (TeNT) also suppressed secretion. In the presence of TeNT, exocytosis was restored by transfection of TeNT-resistant (Q(76)V, F(77)W) VAMP, but additional targeted mutations in VAMP(77-90) abolished its ability to rescue release. The calmodulin- and phospholipid-binding domain of VAMP 2 is thus required for Ca(2+)-dependent exocytosis, possibly to regulate SNARE complex assembly.     

SNAP-23 functions in docking/fusion of granules at low Ca2+

Ca(2+)-triggered exocytosis of secretory granules mediates the release of hormones from endocrine cells and neurons. The plasma membrane protein synaptosome-associated protein of 25 kDa (SNAP-25) is thought to be a key component of the membrane fusion apparatus that mediates exocytosis in neurons. Recently, homologues of SNAP-25 have been identified, including SNAP-23, which is expressed in many tissues, albeit at different levels. At present, little is known concerning functional differences among members of this family of proteins. Using an in vitro assay, we show here that SNAP-25 and SNAP-23 mediate the docking of secretory granules with the plasma membrane at high (1 microM) and low (100 nM) Ca(2+) levels, respectively, by interacting with different members of the synaptotagmin family. In intact endocrine cells, expression of exogenous SNAP-23 leads to high levels of hormone secretion under basal conditions. Thus, the relative expression levels of SNAP-25 and SNAP-23 might control the mode (regulated vs. basal) of granule release by forming docking complexes at different Ca(2+) thresholds.     

A discontinuous SNAP-25 C-terminal coil supports exocytosis

Membrane fusion requires the formation of four-helical bundles comprised of the SNARE proteins syntaxin, vesicle-associated membrane protein (VAMP), and the synaptosomal-associated protein of 25 kDa (SNAP-25). Botulinum neurotoxin E cleaves the C-terminal coil of SNAP-25, inhibiting exocytosis of norepinephrine from permeabilized PC12 cells. Addition of a 26-mer peptide comprising the C terminus of SNAP-25 that is cleaved by the toxin restores exocytosis, demonstrating that continuity of the SNAP-25 C-terminal helix is not critical for its function. By contrast, vesicle-associated membrane protein peptides could not rescue botulinum neurotoxin D-treated cells, suggesting that helix continuity is critical for VAMP function. Much higher concentrations of the SNAP-25 C-terminal peptide are required for rescuing exocytosis (K(assembly) = approximately 460 microm) than for binding to other SNAREs in vitro (Kd < 5 microm). Each residue of the peptide was mutated to alanine to assess its functional importance. Whereas most mutants rescue exocytosis with lower efficiency than the wild type peptide, D186A rescues with higher efficiency, and kinetic analysis suggests this is because of higher affinity for the cellular binding site. This is consistent with Asp-186 contributing to negative regulation of the fusion process.     

SNAP-25 inhibits L-type Ca2+ channels in feline esophagus smooth muscle cells

We recently reported that non-secretory gastrointestinal smooth muscle cells also possessed SNARE proteins, of which SNAP-25 regulated Ca(2+)-activated (K(Ca)) and delayed rectifier K(+) channels (K(V)). Voltage-gated, long lasting (L-type) calcium channels (L(Ca)) play an important role in excitation-contraction coupling of smooth muscle. Here, we show that SNAP-25 could also directly inhibit the L-type Ca(2+) channels in feline esophageal smooth muscle cells at the SNARE complex binding synprint site. SNARE proteins could therefore regulate additional cell actions other than membrane fusion and secretion, in particular, coordinated muscle membrane excitability and contraction, through their actions on membrane Ca(2+) and K(+) channels.     

Ca(2+)-synaptotagmin directly regulates t-SNARE function during reconstituted membrane fusion

In nerve terminals, exocytosis is mediated by SNARE proteins and regulated by Ca(2+) and synaptotagmin-1 (syt). Ca(2+) promotes the interaction of syt with anionic phospholipids and the target membrane SNAREs (t-SNAREs) SNAP-25 and syntaxin. Here, we have used a defined reconstituted fusion assay to determine directly whether syt-t-SNARE interactions couple Ca(2+) to membrane fusion by comparing the effects of Ca(2+)-syt on neuronal (SNAP-25, syntaxin and synaptobrevin) and yeast (Sso1p, Sec9c and Snc2p) SNAREs. Ca(2+)-syt aggregated neuronal and yeast SNARE liposomes to similar extents via interactions with anionic phospholipids. However, Ca(2+)-syt was able to bind and stimulate fusion mediated by only neuronal SNAREs and had no effect on yeast SNAREs. Thus, Ca(2+)-syt regulates fusion through direct interactions with t-SNAREs and not solely through aggregation of vesicles. Ca(2+)-syt drove assembly of SNAP-25 onto membrane-embedded syntaxin, providing direct evidence that Ca(2+)-syt alters t-SNARE structure.     

Fusion pore dynamics are regulated by synaptotagmin*t-SNARE interactions

Exocytosis involves the formation of a fusion pore that connects the lumen of secretory vesicles with the extracellular space. Exocytosis from neurons and neuroendocrine cells is tightly regulated by intracellular [Ca2+] and occurs rapidly, but the molecular events that mediate the opening and subsequent dilation of fusion pores remain to be determined. A putative Ca2+ sensor for release, synaptotagmin I (syt), binds directly to syntaxin and SNAP-25, which are components of a conserved membrane fusion complex. Here, we show that Ca2+-triggered syt*SNAP-25 interactions occur rapidly. The tandem C2 domains of syt cooperate to mediate binding to syntaxin/SNAP-25; lengthening the linker that connects C2A and C2B selectively disrupts this interaction. Expression of the linker mutants in PC12 cells results in graded reductions in the stability of fusion pores. Thus, the final step of Ca2+-triggered exocytosis is regulated, at least in part, by direct contacts between syt and SNAP-25/syntaxin.     

SNIP, a novel SNAP-25-interacting protein implicated in regulated exocytosis

Synaptosome-associated protein of 25 kDa (SNAP-25) is a presynaptic membrane protein that has been clearly implicated in membrane fusion in both developing and mature neurons, although its mechanisms of action are unclear. We have now identified a novel SNAP-25-interacting protein named SNIP. SNIP is a hydrophilic, 145-kDa protein that comprises two predicted coiled-coil domains, two highly charged regions, and two proline-rich domains with multiple PPXY and PXXP motifs. SNIP is selectively expressed in brain where it co-distributes with SNAP-25 in most brain regions. Biochemical studies have revealed that SNIP is tightly associated with the brain cytoskeleton. Subcellular fractionation and immunofluorescence localization studies have demonstrated that SNIP co-localizes with SNAP-25 as well as the cortical actin cytoskeleton, suggesting that SNIP serves as a linker protein connecting SNAP-25 to the submembranous cytoskeleton. By using deletion analysis, we have mapped the binding domains of SNIP and SNAP-25, and we have demonstrated that the SNIP-SNAP-25 association is mediated via coiled-coil interactions. Moreover, we have shown that overexpression of SNIP or its SNAP-25-interacting domain inhibits Ca(2+)-dependent exocytosis from PC12 cells. These results indicate that SNIP is involved in regulation of neurosecretion, perhaps via its interaction with SNAP-25 and the cytoskeleton.     

Ca2+ and N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor differentially regulate disassembly of SNARE complexes on early endosomes

The endosome-associated protein Hrs inhibits the homotypic fusion of early endosomes. A helical region of Hrs containing a Q-SNARE motif mediates this effect as well as its endosomal membrane association via SNAP-25, an endosomal receptor for Hrs. Hrs inhibits formation of an early endosomal SNARE complex by displacing VAMP-2 from the complex, suggesting a mechanism by which Hrs inhibits early endosome fusion. We examined the regulation of endosomal SNARE complexes to probe how Hrs may function as a negative regulator. We show that although NSF dissociates the VAMP-2.SNAP-25.syntaxin 13 complex, it has no effect on the Hrs-containing complex. Whereas Ca(2+) dissociates the Hrs-containing complex but not the VAMP-2-containing SNARE complex. This is the first demonstration of differential regulation of R/Q-SNARE and all Q-SNARE-containing SNARE complexes. Ca(2+) also reverses the Hrs-induced inhibition of early endosome fusion in a tetanus toxin-sensitive manner and removes Hrs from early endosomal membranes. Moreover, Hrs inhibition of endosome fusion and its endosomal localization are sensitive to bafilomycin, implying a role for luminal Ca(2+). Thus, Hrs may bind a SNARE protein on early endosomal membranes negatively regulating trans-SNARE pairing and endosomal fusion. The release of Ca(2+) from the endosome lumen dissociates Hrs, allowing a VAMP-2-containing complex to form enabling fusion.     

Membrane fusion in cells: molecular machinery and mechanisms

Membrane fusion is a sine qua non process for cell physiology. It is critical for membrane biogenesis, intracellular traffic, and cell secretion. Although investigated for over a century, only in the last 15 years, the molecular machinery and mechanism of membrane fusion has been deciphered. The membrane fusion event elicits essentially three actors on stage: anionic phospholipids - phosphatidylinositols, phosphatidyl serines, specific membrane proteins, and the calcium ions, all participating in a well orchestrated symphony. Three soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor (NSF)-attachment protein receptors (SNAREs) have been implicated in membrane fusion. Target membrane proteins, SNAP-25 and syntaxin (t- SNARE) and secretory vesicle-associated membrane protein (v-SNARE) or VAMPwere discovered in the 1990's and suggested to be the minimal fusion machinery. Subsequently, the molecular mechanism of SNARE-induced membrane fusion was discovered. It was demonstrated that when t-SNARE-associated lipid membrane is exposed to v-SNARE-associated vesicles in the presence of Ca(2+), the SNARE proteins interact in a circular array to form conducting channels, thus establishing continuity between the opposing bilayers. Further it was proved that SNAREs bring opposing bilayers close to within a distance of 2-3 Angstroms, allowing Ca(2+) to bridge them. The bridging of bilayers by Ca(2+) then leads to the expulsion of water between the bilayers at the contact site, allowing lipid mixing and membrane fusion. Calcium bridging of opposing bilayers leads to the release of water, both from the water shell of hydrated Ca(2+) ions, as well as the displacement of loosely coordinated water at the phosphate head groups in the lipid membrane. These discoveries provided for the first time, the molecular mechanism of SNARE-induced membrane fusion in cells. Some of the seminal discoveries are briefly discussed in this minireview.     

Spring, a novel RING finger protein that regulates synaptic vesicle exocytosis

The synaptosome-associated protein of 25 kDa (SNAP-25) interacts with syntaxin 1 and vesicle-associated membrane protein 2 (VAMP2) to form a ternary soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive fusion protein attachment protein receptor (SNARE) complex that is essential for synaptic vesicle exocytosis. We report a novel RING finger protein, Spring, that specifically interacts with SNAP-25. Spring is exclusively expressed in brain and is concentrated at synapses. The association of Spring with SNAP-25 abolishes the ability of SNAP-25 to interact with syntaxin 1 and VAMP2 and prevents the assembly of the SNARE complex. Overexpression of Spring or its SNAP-25-interacting domain reduces Ca(2+)-dependent exocytosis from PC12 cells. These results indicate that Spring may act as a regulator of synaptic vesicle exocytosis by controlling the availability of SNAP-25 for the SNARE complex formation.     

Effects of synaptotagmin 2 on membrane fusion between liposomes that contain SNAREs involved in exocytosis in mast cells

Mast cells play a pivotal role in allergic responses. Antigen stimulation causes elevation of the intracellular Ca(2+) concentration, which triggers the exocytotic release of inflammatory mediators such as histamine. Recent research, including our own, has revealed that SNARE (soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor) proteins such as syntaxin-3, -4, SNAP-23, and VAMP-8 are involved in exocytosis. Although exocytosis in mast cells is Ca(2+) dependent, the target molecule that interacts with Ca(2+) is not clear. Synaptotagmin is a Ca(2+) sensor and regulates exocytosis in neuronal cells. However, the role of synaptotagmin 2, a member of the synaptotagmin family, in exocytosis in mast cells remains controversial. In this study, we investigated the role of synaptotagmin 2 by a liposome-based fusion assay. SNARE proteins (SNAP-23, syntaxin-3, VAMP-8) and synaptotagmin 2 were expressed in Escherichia coli and purified as GST-tagged or His-tagged fusion proteins. These SNARE proteins were incorporated by a detergent dialysis method. Membrane fusion between liposomes was monitored by fluorescence resonance energy transfer between fluorescent-labeled phospholipids. In the presence of Ca(2+), low synaptotagmin 2 concentration inhibited membrane fusion between SNARE-containing liposomes, while high synaptotagmin 2 concentration enhanced membrane fusion. This enhancement required phosphatidylserine as a membrane component. These results suggest that synaptotagmin 2 regulates membrane fusion of SNARE-containing liposomes involved in exocytosis in mast cells, and that this regulation is dependent on synaptotagmin 2 concentration, Ca(2+), and phosphatidylserine.     

SNARE complex formation is triggered by Ca2+ and drives membrane fusion

Neurotransmitter exocytosis, a process mediated by a core complex of syntaxin, SNAP-25, and VAMP (SNAREs), is inhibited by SNARE-cleaving neurotoxins. Botulinum neurotoxin E inhibition of norepinephrine release in permeabilized PC12 cells can be rescued by adding a 65 aa C-terminal fragment of SNAP-25 (S25-C). Mutations along the hydrophobic face of the S25-C helix result in SNARE complexes with different thermostabilities, and these mutants rescue exocytosis to different extents. Rescue depends on the continued presence of both S25-C and Ca2+ and correlates with complex formation. The data suggest that Ca2+ triggers S25-C binding to a low-affinity site, initiating trans-complex formation. Pairing of SNARE proteins on apposing membranes leads to bilayer fusion and results in a high-affinity cis-SNARE complex.     

The C2B domain of rabphilin directly interacts with SNAP-25 and regulates the docking step of dense core vesicle exocytosis in PC12 cells

Rabphilin is a membrane trafficking protein on secretory vesicles that consists of an N-terminal Rab-binding domain and C-terminal tandem C2 domains. The N-terminal part of rabphilin has recently been shown to function as an effector domain for both Rab27A and Rab3A in PC12 cells (Fukuda, M., Kanno, E., and Yamamoto, A. (2004) J. Biol. Chem. 279, 13065-13075), but the function of the C2 domains of rabphilin during secretory vesicle exocytosis is largely unknown. In this study we investigated the interaction between rabphilin and SNAREs (soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptors, VAMP-2/synaptobrevin-2, syntaxin IA, and SNAP-25) and SNARE-associated proteins (Munc18-1 and Munc13-1) and found that the C2B domain of rabphilin, but not of other Rab27A-binding proteins with tandem C2 domains (i.e. Slp1-5), directly interacts with a plasma membrane protein, SNAP-25. The interaction between rabphilin and SNAP-25 occurs even in the absence of Ca(2+) (EC(50) = 0.817 microm SNAP-25), but 0.5 mm Ca(2+) increases the affinity for SNAP-25 2-fold (EC(50) = 0.405 microm SNAP-25) without changing the B(max) value (1.06 mol of SNAP-25/mol of rabphilin). Furthermore, vesicle dynamics were imaged by total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy in a single PC12 cell expressing a lumen-targeted pH-insensitive yellow fluorescent protein (Venus), neuropeptide Y-Venus. Expression of the wild-type rabphilin in PC12 cells significantly increased the number of docked vesicles to the plasma membrane without altering the kinetics of individual secretory events, whereas expression of the mutant rabphilin lacking the C2B domain, rabphilin-DeltaC2B, decreased the number of docked vesicle or fusing at the plasma membrane. These findings suggest that rabphilin is involved in the docking step of regulated exocytosis in PC12 cells, possibly through interaction between the C2B domain and SNAP-25.     

The SNAP-25 linker as an adaptation toward fast exocytosis

The assembly of four soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor domains into a complex is essential for membrane fusion. In most cases, the four SNARE-domains are encoded by separate membrane-targeted proteins. However, in the exocytotic pathway, two SNARE-domains are present in one protein, connected by a flexible linker. The significance of this arrangement is unknown. We characterized the role of the linker in SNAP-25, a neuronal SNARE, by using overexpression techniques in synaptosomal-associated protein of 25 kDa (SNAP-25) null mouse chromaffin cells and fast electrophysiological techniques. We confirm that the palmitoylated linker-cysteines are important for membrane association. A SNAP-25 mutant without cysteines supported exocytosis, but the fusion rate was slowed down and the fusion pore duration prolonged. Using chimeric proteins between SNAP-25 and its ubiquitous homologue SNAP-23, we show that the cysteine-containing part of the linkers is interchangeable. However, a stretch of 10 hydrophobic and charged amino acids in the C-terminal half of the SNAP-25 linker is required for fast exocytosis and in its absence the calcium dependence of exocytosis is shifted toward higher concentrations. The SNAP-25 linker therefore might have evolved as an adaptation toward calcium triggering and a high rate of execution of the fusion process, those features that distinguish exocytosis from other membrane fusion pathways.     

Distinct effects of alpha-SNAP, 14-3-3 proteins, and calmodulin on priming and triggering of regulated exocytosis

We have used stage-specific assays for MgATP-dependent priming and for Ca(2+)-activated triggering in the absence of free MgATP to examine the effects of alpha-SNAP, 14-3-3 proteins and calmodulin on regulated exocytosis in permeabilized adrenal chromaffin cells. All three proteins lead to a Ca(2+)-dependent increase in catecholamine secretion. Both alpha-SNAP and 14-3-3 proteins stimulated in a priming but not in a triggering assay. In contrast, calmodulin was stimulatory in triggering but not priming. The effects of alpha-SNAP and 14-3-3 proteins were likely to be due to distinct mechanisms of action since they differed in Ca(2+)-dependency, time course and extent of stimulation and their effects were additive. alpha-SNAP and 14-3-3 proteins did not appear to exert their priming action through changes in synthesis of phosphatidylinositol (4,5) bisphosphate. The data show that these three proteins have distinct stage-specific actions on exocytosis and indicate that alpha-SNAP acts in an early MgATP- requiring stage and not in the late Ca(2+)-triggered steps immediately prior to membrane fusion as previously suggested.     

Rapid and selective binding to the synaptic SNARE complex suggests a modulatory role of complexins in neuroexocytosis.

The Ca(2+)-triggered release of neurotransmitters is mediated by fusion of synaptic vesicles with the plasma membrane. The molecular machinery that translates the Ca(2+) signal into exocytosis is only beginning to emerge. The soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor (SNARE) proteins syntaxin, SNAP-25, and synaptobrevin are central components of the fusion apparatus. Assembly of a membrane-bridging ternary SNARE complex is thought to initiate membrane merger, but the roles of other factors are less understood. Complexins are two highly conserved proteins that modulate the Ca(2+) responsiveness of neurotransmitter release. In vitro, they bind in a 1:1 stoichiometry to the assembled synaptic SNARE complex, making complexins attractive candidates for controlling the exocytotic fusion apparatus. We have now performed a detailed structural, kinetic, and thermodynamic analysis of complexin binding to the SNARE complex. We found that no major conformational changes occur upon binding and that the complexin helix is aligned antiparallel to the four-helix bundle of the SNARE complex. Complexins bound rapidly (approximately 5 x 10(7) m(-1) s(-1)) and with high affinity (approximately 10 nm), making it one of the fastest protein-protein interactions characterized so far in membrane trafficking. Interestingly, neither affinity nor binding kinetics was substantially altered by Ca(2+) ions. No interaction of complexins was detectable either with individual SNARE proteins or with the binary syntaxin x SNAP-25 complex. Furthermore, complexin did not promote the formation of SNARE complex oligomers. Together, our data suggest that complexins modulate neuroexocytosis after assembly of membrane-bridging SNARE complexes.     

Mutations in the effector binding loops in the C2A and C2B domains of synaptotagmin I disrupt exocytosis in a nonadditive manner

The secretory vesicle protein synaptotagmin I (syt) plays a critical role in Ca2+-triggered exocytosis. Its cytoplasmic domain is composed of tandem C2 domains, C2A and C2B; each C2 domain binds Ca2+. Upon binding Ca2+, positively charged residues within the Ca2+-binding loops are thought to interact with negatively charged phospholipids in the target membrane to mediate docking of the cytoplasmic domain of syt onto lipid bilayers. The C2 domains of syt also interact with syntaxin and SNAP-25, two components of a conserved membrane fusion complex. Here, we have neutralized single positively charged residues at the membrane-binding interface of C2A (R233Q) and C2B (K366Q). Either of these mutations shifted the Ca2+ requirements for syt-liposome interactions from approximately 20 to approximately 40 microm Ca2+. Kinetic analysis revealed that the reduction in Ca2+-sensing activity was associated with a decrease in affinity for membranes. These mutations did not affect sytsyntaxin interactions but resulted in an approximately 50% loss in SNAP-25 binding activity, suggesting that these residues lie at an interface between membranes and SNAP-25. Expression of full-length versions of syt that harbored these mutations reduced the rate of exocytosis in PC12 cells. In both biochemical and functional assays, effects of the R233Q and K366Q mutations were not additive, indicating that mutations in one domain affect the activity of the adjacent domain. These findings indicate that the tandem C2 domains of syt cooperate with one another to trigger release via loop-mediated electrostatic interactions with effector molecules.     

The carboxy-terminal calcium binding sites of calmodulin control calmodulin's switch from an activator to an inhibitor of RYR1

Calcium and calmodulin both regulate the skeletal muscle calcium release channel, also known as the ryanodine receptor, RYR1. Ca(2+)-free calmodulin (apocalmodulin) activates and Ca(2+)-calmodulin inhibits the ryanodine receptor. The conversion of calmodulin from an activator to an inhibitor is due to Ca(2+) binding to calmodulin. We have previously shown that the binding sites for apocalmodulin and Ca(2+)-calmodulin on RYR1 are overlapping with the Ca(2+)-calmodulin site located slightly N-terminal to the apocalmodulin binding site. We now show that mutations of the calcium binding sites in either the N-terminal or the C-terminal lobes of calmodulin decrease the affinity of calmodulin for the ryanodine receptor, suggesting that both lobes interact with RYR1. Mutation of the two C-terminal Ca(2+) binding sites of calmodulin destroys calmodulin's ability to inhibit ryanodine receptor activity at high calcium concentrations. The mutated calmodulin, however, can still bind to RYR1 at both nanomolar and micromolar Ca(2+) concentrations. Mutating the two N-terminal calcium binding sites of calmodulin does not significantly alter calmodulin's ability to inhibit ryanodine receptor activity. These data suggest that calcium binding to the two C-terminal calcium binding sites within calmodulin is responsible for the switching of calmodulin from an activator to an inhibitor of the ryanodine receptor.     

Synaptosome-associated protein of 25 kilodaltons modulates Kv2.1 voltage-dependent K(+) channels in neuroendocrine islet beta-cells through an interaction with the channel N terminus

Insulin secretion is initiated by ionic events involving membrane depolarization and Ca(2+) entry, whereas exocytic SNARE (soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor) proteins mediate exocytosis itself. In the present study, we characterize the interaction of the SNARE protein SNAP-25 (synaptosome-associated protein of 25 kDa) with the beta-cell voltage-dependent K(+) channel Kv2.1. Expression of Kv2.1, SNAP-25, and syntaxin 1A was detected in human islet lysates by Western blot, and coimmunoprecipitation studies showed that heterologously expressed SNAP-25 and syntaxin 1A associate with Kv2.1. SNAP-25 reduced currents from recombinant Kv2.1 channels by approximately 70% without affecting channel localization. This inhibitory effect could be partially alleviated by codialysis of a Kv2.1N-terminal peptide that can bind in vitro SNAP-25, but not the Kv2.1C-terminal peptide. Similarly, SNAP-25 blocked voltage-dependent outward K(+) currents from rat beta-cells by approximately 40%, an effect that was completely reversed by codialysis of the Kv2.1N fragment. Finally, SNAP-25 had no effect on outward K(+) currents in beta-cells where Kv2.1 channels had been functionally knocked out using a dominant-negative approach, indicating that the interaction is specific to Kv2.1 channels as compared with other beta-cell Kv channels. This study demonstrates that SNAP-25 can regulate Kv2.1 through an interaction at the channel N terminus and supports the hypothesis that SNARE proteins modulate secretion through their involvement in regulation of membrane ion channels in addition to exocytic membrane fusion.