The SNARE (soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive fusion protein-attachment protein receptor) protein SNAP-25 (25 kDa synaptosome-associated protein) is essential for regulated exocytosis in neuronal and neuroendocrine cells. Whereas the majority of SNARE proteins contain transmembrane domains, SNAP-25 is instead anchored to membranes by the palmitoylation of a central cysteine-rich region. In this...

We present the first large scale study characterizing both N- and O-linked glycosylation in a site-specific manner on hundreds of proteins. We demonstrate that a lectin-affinity fractionation step using wheat germ agglutinin enriches not only peptides carrying intracellular O-GlcNAc, but also those bearing ER/Golgi-derived N- and O-linked carbohydrate structures. Liquid chromatography-MS (LC/MS...

The metabolism of adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cyclic AMP) was studied in specific pathogen-free mice exposed to neonatal infection with mouse enterovirus or to malnutrition during early life. Metabolic activity was determined by measuring the turnover of cyclic AMP-8-(14)C to respiratory (14)CO(2), its incorporation into various organs and plasma, and the binding activity of synaptosome for ...

AIMS Synapses represent a major pathological target across a broad range of neurodegenerative conditions. Recent studies addressing molecular mechanisms regulating synaptic vulnerability and degeneration have relied heavily on invertebrate and mouse models. Whether similar molecular neuropathological changes underpin synaptic breakdown in large animal models and in human patients with neurodege...

Calcium entry through CaV2.2 calcium channels clustered at the active zone (AZ) of the presynaptic nerve terminal gates synaptic vesicle (SV) fusion and the discharge of neurotransmitters, but the mechanism of channel scaffolding remains poorly understood. Recent studies have implicated the binding of a PDZ ligand domain (PDZ-LD) at the tip of the channel C terminal to a partner PDZ domain on R...

Vesicle fusion in eukaryotes is thought to involve the assembly of a highly conserved family of proteins termed soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptors (SNAREs) into a highly stable parallel four-helix bundle. We have used intermolecular single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer to characterize preassembled neuronal SNARE complexes consisting of synta...