Beginning on page 889, Martinez-Arca et al. describe the role of the tetanus neurotoxin insensitive vesicle-associated membrane protein (TI-VAMP) in neurite outgrowth. Through a combination of biochemical and functional analyses, the authors show that TI-VAMP is required for vesicular transport in neurite outgrowth, and identify the NH2-terminal domain of the protein as a major regulator of this process. In addition to providing significant new insight into vesicular trafficking, the findings suggest that TI-VAMP could be a valuable pharmacological target in efforts to treat nerve damage.
Though neurite outgrowth is a critical event in neuronal differentiation, the vesicle-targeting mechanisms driving the process have remained poorly understood. In this new work, the authors show that TI-VAMP is essential for neurite outgrowth in PC12 cells, and that the NH2-terminal domain of the protein inhibits TI-VAMP association with...
