Porosomes or
fusion pores are cup-shaped structures in the cell membranes of
eukaryoticA eukaryote is an organism whose cells contain complex structures enclosed within membranes. The defining membrane-bound structure that sets eukaryotic cells apart from prokaryotic cells is the nucleus, or nuclear envelope, within which the genetic material is carried...
cells where
vesiclesA vesicle is a bubble of liquid within a cell. More technically, a vesicle is a small, intracellular, membrane-enclosed sac that stores or transports substances within a cell. Vesicles form naturally because of the properties of lipid membranes ...
dock in the process of
vesicle fusionVesicle fusion is the merging of a vesicles with a cell membrane. It is the end stage of secretion from secretory vesicles, where their contents are expelled from the cell through exocytosis at the porosome...
an secretion. These structures are about 150 nanometers in diameter and contain many different types of protein, especially
SNARE proteinsSNARE proteins SNARE proteins SNARE proteins (an acronym derived from "SNAP (Soluble NSF Attachment Protein) REceptors" are a large protein superfamily consisting of more than 60 members in yeast and mammalian cells....
that mediate the docking and fusion of the vesicles with the cell membrane. Once the vesicles have docked with the SNARE proteins, they swell, which increases their internal pressure.
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Porosomes or
fusion pores are cup-shaped structures in the cell membranes of
eukaryoticA eukaryote is an organism whose cells contain complex structures enclosed within membranes. The defining membrane-bound structure that sets eukaryotic cells apart from prokaryotic cells is the nucleus, or nuclear envelope, within which the genetic material is carried...
cells where
vesiclesA vesicle is a bubble of liquid within a cell. More technically, a vesicle is a small, intracellular, membrane-enclosed sac that stores or transports substances within a cell. Vesicles form naturally because of the properties of lipid membranes ...
dock in the process of
vesicle fusionVesicle fusion is the merging of a vesicles with a cell membrane. It is the end stage of secretion from secretory vesicles, where their contents are expelled from the cell through exocytosis at the porosome...
an secretion. These structures are about 150 nanometers in diameter and contain many different types of protein, especially
SNARE proteinsSNARE proteins SNARE proteins SNARE proteins (an acronym derived from "SNAP (Soluble NSF Attachment Protein) REceptors" are a large protein superfamily consisting of more than 60 members in yeast and mammalian cells....
that mediate the docking and fusion of the vesicles with the cell membrane. Once the vesicles have docked with the SNARE proteins, they swell, which increases their internal pressure. They then fuse with the membrane, and these pressurized contents are ejected from the cell.
History of discovery
The porosome was discovered in the early to mid 1990's by a team led by Professor Bhanu Jena at
Yale UniversityYale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut, and a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States. Yale has produced many notable alumni, including five...
School of Medicine, using atomic force microscopy.. Dr. Bhanu Jena is the "Distinguished Professor of Physiology" at the
Wayne State University School of MedicineThe Wayne State University School of Medicine is the largest single-campus medical school in the United States with more than 1,000 medical students. In addition to undergraduate medical education, the school offers master’s degree, Ph.D. and M.D.-Ph.D. programs in 14 areas of basic science to...
.
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