GENETIC ANALYSES OF RAB3 FUNCTION

Rab-3是一个小的GTP结合蛋白家族的成员，它具有 与突触小泡的运输有关。Rab家族 成员和结构上与ras的p2lras产品相关的成员 GTP结合形式和GDP结合形式之间的癌基因循环。每种Rab蛋白都会出现 以特定形式的囊泡运输起作用。这种特殊性，结合在一起 与其调节潜力的自行车机制暗示了一个作用 对于RAB蛋白在调节运输中的作用。它的实际作用是 RAB蛋白在转运和膜融合中的作用尚不清楚， 然而。本研究探讨了Rab3在突触小泡中的作用 运输和聚变。这些实验使用线虫作为一种 用于分析Rab3功能的遗传和分子系统。遗传 而分子方法将首先用于分离新的Rab-3等位基因， 然后通过增强子和增强子分析Rab3的功能途径 抑制者分析。这些研究应该会产生关于 RAB-3的功能和突触小泡的一般运输。结果是 这些实验将有助于对一般功能的剖析 Rab蛋白和调节其功能的因子。

Rab-3 is a member of a family of small GTP binding proteins which have been implicated in the trafficking of synaptic vesicles. Rab family members and the structurally related to p2lras product of the ras oncogene cycle between GTP- and GDP-bound forms. Each Rab protein appears act in a specific form of vesicle transport. This specificity, together with the regulatory potential of their cycling mechanism suggests a role for RAB proteins in the regulation of trafficking. The actual role which Rab proteins play in the transport and membrane fusion remains a unclear, however. This proposal addresses the role of Rab3 in synaptic vesicle transport and fusion. The experiments presented use C. elegans as a genetic and molecular system for the analysis of Rab3 function. Genetic and molecular methods will first be used to isolate new rab-3 alleles, and then to analyze the Rab3 functional pathway through of enhancer and suppressor analyses. These studies should yield novel information about Rab-3 function and synaptic vesicle transport in general. The results from these experiments will aid in the dissection of the general function of the Rab proteins and the factors modulate their function.