Cited by 363Cellular transport and secretionNeuroscience and Neuropharmacology ResearchLipid Membrane Structure and Behavior

Munc13 mediates the transition from the closed syntaxin–Munc18 complex to the SNARE complex

Open access
Ma, Cong, Li, Wei, Xu, Yibin, Rizo, Josep·2011·Nature Structural & Molecular Biology

Abstract

During the priming step that leaves synaptic vesicles ready for neurotransmitter release, the SNARE syntaxin-1 transitions from a closed conformation that binds Munc18-1 tightly to an open conformation within the highly stable SNARE complex. Control of this conformational transition is important for brain function, but the underlying mechanism is unknown. NMR and fluorescence experiments now show that the Munc13-1 MUN domain, which plays a central role in vesicle priming, markedly accelerates the transition from the syntaxin-1-Munc18-1 complex to the SNARE complex. This activity depends on weak interactions of the MUN domain with the syntaxin-1 SNARE motif, and probably with Munc18-1. Together with available physiological data, these results provide a defined molecular basis for synaptic vesicle priming, and they illustrate how weak protein-protein interactions can play crucial biological roles by promoting transitions between high-affinity macromolecular assemblies.

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

A few free checks a day · papers already verified open instantly · results are public

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1038/nsmb.2047

Cites

60 of 60 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Claims the paper makes

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

A few free checks a day · papers already verified open instantly · results are public

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

  • Munc13 opens syntaxin-1, allowing trans-zippering of SNAREs from the N- to C-terminals and formation of a 4-helix trans-complex or ternary complex.

    “Munc13 opens syntaxin-1 (407), allowing the trans-zippering of the SNAREs in the plasma and granular membranes from the N- to the C-terminals (which are anchored to the membrane). This leads to the formation of a 4-helix trans-complex, also referred to as the ‘ternary complex’ (100) (Figure 16B, step ii).”

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

The self-check needs the paper’s full text.

Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Ma, C., Li, W., Xu, Y., & Rizo, J.
Affiliations
The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (US)
Corresponding author
Rizo, Josep
Venue
Nature Structural & Molecular Biology
Published
2011-04-17
Volume
18
Issue
5
Pages
542-549
ISSN
  • 1545-9985 (ISSN-L)
  • 1545-9993
OpenAlex
W2086919645
Cited by
363
References
60
Citations by year
2026: 15 · 2025: 21 · 2024: 17 · 2023: 27 · 2022: 36 · 2021: 27 · 2020: 21 · 2019: 16 · 2018: 24 · 2017: 35 · 2016: 20 · 2015: 21 · 2014: 24 · 2013: 25 · 2012: 24
FWCI
12.74
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Nature Structural & Molecular Biology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NS 37200, R01NS037200)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cell Biology › Cellular transport and secretion
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Lipid Membrane Structure and Behavior
Keywords
Munc13-1, syntaxin-1, Munc18-1, SNARE complex, synaptic vesicle priming, protein-protein interaction, conformational change, neurotransmitter release, weak interaction, synaptic vesicle exocytosis
MeSH terms
Animals, Binding Sites, Humans, Nerve Tissue Proteins, Protein Structure, Tertiary, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Biomolecular, Amino Acid Motifs, Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer, SNARE Proteins, Synaptosomal-Associated Protein 25, Syntaxin 1, Vesicle-Associated Membrane Protein 2, Rats, Munc18 Proteins

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review