Subcellular Targeting of a Presynaptic Nerve Terminal Protein, SNAP-25

大脑的功能、记忆、学习和行为在很大程度上依赖于神经细胞来传递、处理和存储信息。为了完成这些任务，神经元拥有独特的结构--它们的细胞体(树突和轴突)的延伸--这些结构终止(突触)在其他细胞上，使它们之间能够进行电和化学交流。这些突触连接是神经递质储存、释放、合成和循环的局部场所。突触的分子和化学成分的表征，如蛋白SNAP-25，是了解神经系统的一个重要研究目标。Snap-25是一种重要的蛋白质，只在成熟神经系统的神经末梢中发现，似乎在整个动物界都被保存了下来，这表明它具有重要的神经系统功能。

The function of the brain, memory and learning and behavior is critically dependent on nerve cells to transmit, process and store information. To fulfill these tasks neurons possess unique structures - extensions of their cell body (dendrites and axons)- that terminate (synapse) on other cells to allow electrical and chemical communication between them. These synaptic junctions are the localized sites where neurotransmitters are stored, released, synthesized and recycled. The characterization of the molecular and chemical components of the synapse such as the protein SNAP-25, is an important goal of research in the understanding of the nervous system. SNAP-25 is a prominent protein found in nerve terminals of the mature nervous system only and seems to be preserved up through the animal kingdom suggesting that it has important nervous system function.