SNAREing voltage-gated K+ and ATP-sensitive K+ channels : Tuning β-cell excitability with syntaxin-1A and other exocytotic proteins

The three SNARE (soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor) proteins, syntaxin, SNAP25 (synaptosome-associated protein of 25 kDa), and synaptobrevin, constitute the minimal machinery for exocytosis in secretory cells such as neurons and neuroendocrine cells by forming a series of complexes prior to and during vesicle fusion. It was subsequently found that these SNARE proteins not only participate in vesicle fusion, but also tether with voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels to form an excitosome that precisely regulates calcium entry at the site of exocytosis. In pancreatic islet β-cells, ATP-sensitive K+ (KATP) channel closure by high ATP concentration leads to membrane depolarization, voltage-dependent Ca2+ channel opening, and insulin secretion, whereas subsequent opening of voltage-gated K+ (Kv) channels repolarizes the cell to terminate exocytosis. We have obtained evidence that syntaxin-1A physically interacts with Kv2.1 (the predominant Kv in β-cells) and the sulfonylurea recep...