Biological Chemistry seminar: Erdem Karatekin, Yale University

"How to isolate and study the ‘fusion pore’, a key intermediate during exocytotic membrane fusion" Synaptic transmission underlies neuronal communication and hormones control many physiologic processes. Neurotransmitters and hormones are released via calcium-triggered exocytosis wherein cargo-filled vesicles fuse with the plasma membrane to release their contents to the extracellular space. Both hormones and neurotransmitters are released through fluctuating, nm-sized exocytotic fusion pores that can flicker open and shut multiple times.