Pi. Hanson et al., STRUCTURE AND CONFORMATIONAL-CHANGES IN NSF AND ITS MEMBRANE-RECEPTORCOMPLEXES VISUALIZED BY QUICK-FREEZE DEEP-ETCH ELECTRON-MICROSCOPY/, Cell, 90(3), 1997, pp. 523-535
Using quick-freeze/deep-etch electron microscopy of recombinant protei
ns adsorbed to mica, we show that NSF, the oligomeric ATPase involved
in membrane fusion, is a hollow 10 x 16 nm cylinder whose conformation
depends upon nucleotide binding. Depleted of nucleotide, NSF converts
to a ''splayed'' protease-sensitive conformation that reveals its sub
unit composition. NSF's synaptic membrane substrate, the ternary SNARE
complex containing syntaxin, SNAP-25, and synaptobrevin, is a 4 x 14
nm rod with a ''tail'' at one end, corresponding to the N-terminus of
syntaxin. Using epitope tags, antibodies, and maltose-binding protein
markers, we find that syntaxin and synaptobrevin are aligned in parall
el in the complex, with their membrane anchors located at the same end
of the rod. This SNARE rod binds with alpha-SNAP to one end of the NS
F cylinder to form an asymmetric ''20S'' complex. Together, these imag
es suggest how NSF could dissociate the SNARE complex and how associat
ion and dissociation of the complex could be related to membrane fusio
n.