The N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive fusion protein (NSF) is preferentially expressed in the nervous system.

NSF and SNAPs (soluble NSF attachment proteins), originally identified as cytosolic components of intracellular vesicular transport mechanisms, have recently been implicated in Ca(2+)-triggered neurotransmitter release from synaptic terminals. Here, we have investigated the temporal and spatial expression pattern of the rodent NSF and SNAP genes. A single transcript of 4.5 kb is highly expressed in rat brain, whereas only minor amounts of NSF mRNA are found in liver, kidney, heart, lung and skeletal muscle. In situ hybridisation revealed NSF transcripts as early as embryonic day 10 preferentially in the nervous system of mouse embryos. In the adult brain NSF is widely expressed with particularly high levels in the hippocampus. An identical expression profile was observed for alpha/beta-SNAP. Our data are consistent with a central function of NSF and SNAPs in neurotransmission.