Lovastatin Can Be Used To Produce Non-prenylated ykt6 From PC12 Cells
Abstract
• SNARE Proteins are involved in membrane fusion
• ykt6 is a v-SNARE of unknown function in the cell
• Expressed at high levels in neurons, suggesting specific function in brain.
• ykt6 exists in two pools in the cell: membrane bound and free, cytosolic protein.
• Contains 2 domains, the SNARE binding motif (which contains the CCAIM
prenylation site) and amino-terminal (NT) domain which is involved in
localization of the protein.
• Membrane bound protein can bind to other SNAREs to form SNARE
complexes, while cytosolic cannot. The mechanism behind this is unknown.
•We hypothesize that the addition of a prenyl group (a small hydrophobic fatty
acid) results in a conformational change in the cytosolic form, rendering it
inactive.
• To test this, PC12 cells were treated with the drug lovastatin, which inhibits
prenylation and purified non-prenylated ykt6 tested for SNARE binding activity.