Plasma Membrane Fusion
Plasma Membrane Fusion - Related Videos
01:26
Fusion of Secretory Vesicles with the Plasma Membrane
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2023
Proteins and neurotransmitters in secretory vesicles can be released from a cell upon vesicle docking, priming, and fusion with the plasma membrane. Vesicles are docked and primed in preparation for the quick exocytosis of their contents in response to a stimulus. The fusion process is mainly carried out by a SNAP Receptor or SNARE complex, consisting of synaptobrevin, syntaxin-1, and SNAP-25. In 1993, Jim Rothman proposed that the antiparallel pairing of vesicular and transmembrane SNAREs, or...
12:28
Imaging Plasma Membrane Deformations With pTIRFM
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Cited by 11 •
2014
Polarization-based Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence Microscopy (pTIRFM) enables real-time detection of cell membrane dynamics. This article describes the implementation of pTIRFM for the study of membrane remodeling during regulated exocytosis. The technique is generalizable to other processes in cell biology that directly or indirectly involve changes in membrane shape.
09:19
Analysis of SNARE-mediated Membrane Fusion Using an Enzymatic Cell Fusion Assay
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2012
We have developed a cell fusion assay that quantifies SNARE-mediated membrane fusion events by activated expression of β-galactosidase.
06:46
Applying X-ray Imaging Crystal Spectroscopy for Use as a High Temperature Plasma Diagnostic
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Cited by 4 •
2016
X-ray spectra provide a wealth of information on high temperature plasmas. This manuscript presents the operation of a high wavelength resolution spatially imaging X-ray spectrometer used to view hydrogen- and helium-like ions of medium atomic number elements in a tokamak plasma.
01:43
SNAREs and Membrane Fusion
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2023
Once a transport vesicle has recognized its target organelle, the vesicular membrane needs to fuse with the target membrane to unload the cargo. Transmembrane proteins called SNAREs present on organelle membranes and their vesicles, mediate vesicle fusion. SNAREs exist in pairs that symmetrically interact and catalyze the fusion of the lipid bilayers in vesicle and target organelle. v-SNARE in the vesicle membrane are single polypeptide chains that bind to a complementary t-SNARE, composed of 2...
FAQs
The fusion pore acts as the functional gateway created after the membranes have begun to merge. Its initial opening connects the previously separate membrane compartments, while subsequent expansion determines how freely their contents can pass and how fully the membranes become continuous. Thus, pore formation marks a transition from membrane remodeling to content exchange, and pore expansion shapes the outcome of the event.
SNARE proteins contribute mechanical force that helps drive the membranes toward the merger state. Their role differs from that of calcium ions, which regulate rapid fusion events in many cells. Separating these functions clarifies how a cell can combine a membrane-remodeling force with a regulatory signal, particularly when fusion must occur quickly.
Hemifusion is important because it represents a partially completed remodeling state rather than a final exchange event. At this stage, local lipid rearrangement has progressed, but the fusion pore has not yet provided a fully open connection between compartments. Distinguishing hemifusion from pore formation helps researchers analyze where fusion succeeds, pauses, or fails.
Plasma membrane fusion links membrane remodeling to several essential transport and communication events. In neurotransmitter release and hormone secretion, it enables secretory compartments to deliver their contents. In vesicle trafficking, it helps membrane-bound compartments exchange contents within the cell. These applications show why the mechanism is central to both cell signaling and intracellular organization.
Fertilization and viral entry illustrate two biologically different contexts that depend on related membrane behavior. During fertilization, fusion helps bring cells together, whereas viral entry uses membrane fusion to influence how a virus crosses into a host cell. Comparing them shows that the same remodeling principle can operate in normal reproduction and host-pathogen interactions.
Defects in membrane fusion can disrupt processes that depend on controlled membrane remodeling, including cell communication and intracellular transport. The consequences may arise from problems in force generation, regulation, pore formation, or expansion, because each stage contributes to successful content exchange. Studying these defects therefore connects molecular membrane dynamics with disorders caused by faulty remodeling.