Soluble NSF-attachment proteins.

Soluble NSF-attachment proteins (SNAPs) are highly conserved proteins that participate in intracellular membrane fusion and vesicular trafficking. In mammals, there are three different isoforms of SNAPs, alpha-, beta- and gamma-SNAP. alpha- and gamma-SNAP are ubiquitously expressed, whereas beta-SNAP is the brain-specific isoform. SNAPs recruit NSF to the membrane after being bound to specific membrane receptors termed SNAREs, NSF, SNAPs and SNAREs form a heterooligomeric complex that is disrupted upon ATP hydrolysis by NSF, which is a prerequisite of membrane fusion. In addition, beta-SNAP interacts with the putative synaptic calcium sensor protein, synaptotagmin, and may be involved in calcium-regulated exocytosis. In the future, this property might be exploited for the development of new therapeutics for certain CNS pathologies.