Expression of the SNARE protein SNAP-23 is essential for cell survival

PLoS One. 2015 Feb 23;10(2):e0118311. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0118311. eCollection 2015.

Abstract

Members of the SNARE-family of proteins are known to be key regulators of the membrane-membrane fusion events required for intracellular membrane traffic. The ubiquitously expressed SNARE protein SNAP-23 regulates a wide variety of exocytosis events and is essential for mouse development. Germline deletion of SNAP-23 results in early embryonic lethality in mice, and for this reason we now describe mice and cell lines in which SNAP-23 can be conditionally-deleted using Cre-lox technology. Deletion of SNAP-23 in CD19-Cre expressing mice prevents B lymphocyte development and deletion of SNAP-23 using a variety of T lymphocyte-specific Cre mice prevents T lymphocyte development. Acute depletion of SNAP-23 in mouse fibroblasts leads to rapid apoptotic cell death. These data highlight the importance of SNAP-23 for cell survival and describe a mouse in which specific cell types can be eliminated by expression of tissue-specific Cre-recombinase.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Intramural

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antigens, CD19 / metabolism
  • Apoptosis / genetics
  • B-Lymphocytes / cytology
  • B-Lymphocytes / metabolism
  • Blotting, Western
  • CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / cytology
  • CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / metabolism
  • CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / cytology
  • CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / metabolism
  • Cell Survival / genetics
  • Embryo, Mammalian / cytology
  • Fibroblasts / cytology
  • Fibroblasts / metabolism*
  • Genes, Essential / genetics*
  • Lymphocyte Specific Protein Tyrosine Kinase p56(lck) / metabolism
  • Mice, Knockout
  • Mice, Transgenic
  • Microscopy, Confocal
  • Qb-SNARE Proteins / genetics
  • Qb-SNARE Proteins / metabolism*
  • Qc-SNARE Proteins / genetics
  • Qc-SNARE Proteins / metabolism*
  • Spleen / cytology
  • Spleen / metabolism
  • Thymocytes / cytology
  • Thymocytes / metabolism
  • Time-Lapse Imaging

Substances

  • Antigens, CD19
  • Qb-SNARE Proteins
  • Qc-SNARE Proteins
  • Snap23 protein, mouse
  • Lymphocyte Specific Protein Tyrosine Kinase p56(lck)