NEURALLY EXPRESSED DROSOPHILA GENES ENCODING HOMOLOGS OF THE NSF AND SNAP SECRETORY PROTEINS

Several lines of investigation have now converged to indicate that the neurotransmitter release apparatus is formed by assembly of cytosolic proteins with proteins of the synaptic vesicle and presynaptic termin al membranes. We are undertaking a genetic approach in Drosophila mela nogaster to investigate the functions of two types of cytosolic protei ns thought to function in this complex: N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive fus ion protein (NSF) and the soluble NSF attachment proteins (SNAPs). We have identified Drosophila homologs of the vertebrate and yeast NSF an d SNAP genes. Both Drosophila genes encode polypeptides that closely r esemble their vertebrate counterparts and are expressed in the nervous system; neither appears to be in a family of closely related Drosophi la genes. These results indicate that the Drosophila NSF and SNAP gene s are excellent candidates for mutational analysis of neurotransmitter release.