SNAP iN, SNAP oUT—SNAREs at ER-PM Contact Sites

Abstract

Inter-organelle communication is essential for the exchange of cellular content in eukaryotes, particularly at membrane contact sites between the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and the plasma membrane (PM). Accomplishing this critical task requires close positioning of the involved membranes via tether proteins and associated complexes. One such complex involves the SNAREs Sec22b and Syntaxin 1. Discovered to be interacting at the ER-PM membrane contact site (MCS), Sec22b-Stx1 forms a unique non-fusogenic bridge tethering the two membranes. Contrarily, SNAP25 was shown to be absent from the Sec22b-Stx1 complexes. Two recent studies focused on this interplay of SNARES and Lipid transfer proteins at MCSs. The Longin domain of Sec22b appeared to be the reason behind SNAP25’s exclusion from Sec22b-Stx1 assembly, and inclusion of E-Syts. It was also shown that yeast Sec9p and mammalian SNAP25 regulate ER-PM contact sites via their interaction with LTP OSBP-homologous proteins (ORP/OSH). In this following short review, we will take a closer look at the protein complexes involving SNAREs at MCSs and potential regulation by the Longin domain of Sec22b.