Analysis of SNARE protein spatio-temporal dynamics during exocytosis in living cells

高等生物体中的所有细胞都需要移动膜和蛋白质，同时识别和维持各种因子所在的隔间。这个过程的最后一步可能是分泌，或胞吐作用，其中专门的细胞可以将激素（如胰岛素）或神经递质（如血清素）输出到细胞外，从而实现细胞间的通信。一段时间以来，人们已经知道所有这些过程都是由细胞中的专门蛋白质介导的;这是在试管中定义的，蛋白质参与者也被确定。然而，直到最近，还不可能确定这些蛋白质在细胞内何时何地相互作用。显微镜一直局限于简单的观察过程，看看东西在哪里。我的实验室和其他许多实验室帮助开发了功能成像，显微镜不仅可以用来观察事物，还可以用来观察它们的功能。特别是，我有可视化蛋白质的技术，因为它们与活细胞内的伴侣相互作用。这些方法将用于弥合我们从试管中获得的生化知识与分泌期间细胞中实际发生的情况之间的差距。

All cells in higher organisms have a requirement to move membranes and proteins around, whilst identifying and maintaining the compartments the various factors are in. A final step in this process may be secretion, or exocytosis, where specialised cells can export hormones (like insulin) or neurotransmitters (like serotonin) to the outside of the cells, thus enabling inter-cell communication. It has been known for some time that all these processes are mediated by specialised proteins in the cell; this was defined in the test-tube, and the protein players identified. Until recently, however, it has not been possible to identify where and when these proteins interactwith one another inside cells. Microscopy has been limited to the simple observational process of seeing where things are. My laboratory, and many others, have helped develop functional imaging , where microscopes can be used not only for seeing things, but looking at their functions. In particular, I have techniques for visualising proteins as they interact with partners inside living cells. These approaches will be used to bridge the gap between our biochemical knowledge from the test-tube, and what actually happens in the cell during secretion.