Proteins of the SNARE (soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor-attachment protein receptor) family are key factors in all vesicle-fusion steps in the endocytic and secretory pathways. SNAREs can assemble into a tight four-helix bundle complex between opposing membranes, a process that is thought to pull the two membranes into close proximity. The complex-forming domains are highly conserved, not only between different species, but also between different vesicular trafficking steps. SNARE protein sequences can be classified into four main types (Qa, Qb, Qc and R), each reflecting their position in the four-helix bundle. Further refinement of these main types resulted in the identification of 20 distinct conserved groups, which probably reflect the original repertoire of a proto-eukaryotic cell. We analysed the evolution of the SNARE repertoires in metazoa and fungi and unveiled remarkable differences in both lineages. In metazoa, the SNARE repertoire appears to have undergone a substantial expansion, particularly in the endosomal pathways. This expansion probably occurred during the transition from a unicellular to a multicellular lifestyle. We also observed another expansion that led to a major increase of the secretory SNAREs in the vertebrate lineage. Interestingly, fungi developed multicellularity independently, but in contrast with plants and metazoa, this change was not accompanied by an expansion of the SNARE set. Our findings suggest that the rise of multicellularity is not generally linked to an expansion of the SNARE set. The structural and functional diversity that exists between fungi and metazoa might offer a simple explanation for the distinct evolutionary history of their SNARE repertoires.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
August 2009
-
Cover Image
Cover Image
- PDF Icon PDF LinkFront Matter
- PDF Icon PDF LinkTable of Contents
Conference Article|
July 22 2009
Differences in the SNARE evolution of fungi and metazoa
Nickias Kienle;
Nickias Kienle
1
1Structural Biochemistry Research Group, Department of Neurobiology, Max-Planck-Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Am Fassberg 11, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
1To whom correspondence should be addressed (email nkienle@gwdg.de).
Search for other works by this author on:
Tobias H. Kloepper;
Tobias H. Kloepper
2
1Structural Biochemistry Research Group, Department of Neurobiology, Max-Planck-Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Am Fassberg 11, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
Search for other works by this author on:
Dirk Fasshauer
Dirk Fasshauer
1Structural Biochemistry Research Group, Department of Neurobiology, Max-Planck-Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Am Fassberg 11, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
Search for other works by this author on:
Publisher: Portland Press Ltd
Received:
January 23 2009
Online ISSN: 1470-8752
Print ISSN: 0300-5127
© The Authors Journal compilation © 2009 Biochemical Society
2009
Biochem Soc Trans (2009) 37 (4): 787–791.
Article history
Received:
January 23 2009
Citation
Nickias Kienle, Tobias H. Kloepper, Dirk Fasshauer; Differences in the SNARE evolution of fungi and metazoa. Biochem Soc Trans 1 August 2009; 37 (4): 787–791. doi: https://doi.org/10.1042/BST0370787
Download citation file:
Sign in
Don't already have an account? Register
Sign in to your personal account
You could not be signed in. Please check your email address / username and password and try again.
Captcha Validation Error. Please try again.