Abstract
Arabidopsis VAM3/SYP22, one of the SYP2 family SNARE proteins, is classified as Qa-SNARE (soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor) and interacts with AtVTI11 (Qb-SNARE) and SYP5 (Qc-SNARE). Previously, we reported that vam3 mutants exhibited the phenotypes of wavy leaves, delayed growth, semi-dwarfism and abnormal distribution of myrosin cells (1). Although PEP12/SYP21 and PLP/SYP23 are homologues to VAM3/SYP22, the physiological function of PEP12/SYP21 and PLP/SYP23 in plants remains unknown. To elucidate a role of PEP12/SYP21 and PLP/SYP23 in protein trafficking and development of plant cells, we generated double and triple mutants of the SYP2 family SNARE proteins of Arabidopsis thaliana. By analyzing the phenotypes of these mutants, we found the functional redundancy between these three SYP2 family SNARE proteins. We will discuss about the functions of SYP2 family SNARE proteins in higher plants.
(1) Shirakawa, M. et al, Plant Cell Physiol., 50, 1319-1328 (2009).
