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57<br />

Mechanism of membrane fusion and the release of<br />

hormones and transmitters<br />

James Rothman 1 .<br />

Yale University, New Haven, CT 1<br />

Abstract:<br />

Intracellular membrane fusion is catalyzed by the zippering of SNARE proteins into helical<br />

bundles (termed trans-SNARE complexes, or SNAREpins) between membranes, forcing their<br />

bilayers together. In synaptic transmission, fusion does not occur until calcium enters the presynaptic<br />

cytoplasm. Recent studies shed light both on the biophysics of fusion and on how it is<br />

regulated for precise release of neurotransmitters and hormones.

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