High impact information on syntaxin

• Synaptic vesicle fusion complex contains unc-18 homologue bound to syntaxin [1].
• Finally, we demonstrate that double mutants lacking both the v-SNAREs synaptotagmin and snb-1 are phenotypically similar to snb-1 mutants and less severe than syntaxin mutants [2].
• To determine whether syntaxin with arginine instead of glutamine in its zero layer can support SNARE function in vivo, we introduced it as a transgene into a Caenorhabditis elegans syntaxin-null strain [3].
• UNC-13 interaction with syntaxin is required for synaptic transmission [4].
• RESULTS: We have analyzed the genome of Caenorhabditis elegans and identified eight syntaxin genes [5].

Biological context of syntaxin

• Caenorhabditis elegans TOM-1 is orthologous to vertebrate tomosyn, a cytosolic syntaxin-binding protein implicated in the modulation of both constitutive and regulated exocytosis [6].
• It is possible that the phenotype of unc-13 and unc-18 mutations is caused by the inability of the respective mutated gene products to bind to syntaxin [7].
• Embryos deficient in one syntaxin, Syn-4, became multinucleate because of defects in karyomere fusion and cytokinesis [5].
• These findings suggest that muSec1 is, via its binding to the syntaxin family, involved in the protein trafficking from the Golgi apparatus to the plasma membrane and that the fundamental mechanisms of protein trafficking have been conserved from yeast through virtually all mammalian cells [8].
• The new isoform syntaxin 1C, which might be generated by alternative splicing of the syntaxin 1 gene, was expressed in several human tissues, including brain [9].

Anatomical context of syntaxin

• Members of the syntaxin gene family are components of protein complexes which regulate vesicle docking and/or fusion during transport of cargo through the secretory pathway of eukaryotic cells [10].
• Members of the syntaxin family of integral membrane proteins have recently been implicated as vesicle receptors on target membranes, coresponsible for the specificity of intracellular membrane traffic [11].
• Epitope-tagged syntaxin-16A and syntaxin-16B were found to colocalize with the Golgi marker beta-COP, while syntaxin-16C was found in the cytosol [11].

Associations of syntaxin with chemical compounds

• Motivated by this hypothesis, the authors measured the ability of syntaxin 1A and proteins that interact with syntaxin to bind to halothane and isoflurane [12].

Analytical, diagnostic and therapeutic context of syntaxin

• Immuno-precipitation and immunoblotting with the monoclonal antibody HPC-1 and a polyclonal antibody raised against a peptide corresponding to the unique C-terminal 35 residues of syntaxin 1C failed to detect syntaxin 1C at the protein level in extracts of muscle, fat or brain [9].

References