Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41286451›Full record

ArticleNature neuroscience2026

Munc18 modulates syntaxin phase separation to promote exocytosis.

Qing Pei, Qixin Chen, Zhiqi Tian, Le Zhu, Yang Chen, Jihong Gong, Shen Wang, Yijuan Xiang, John S Khamo, Jiaqi Fan and 12 more

Abstract read
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Nature neuroscience, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Munc18 reprograms the intrinsic neuronal SNARE complex assembly pathway.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026
    Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

22 authors.

Qing Pei *Key Laboratory of Cognitive Science, Hubei Key Laboratory of Medical Information Analysis and Tumor Diagnosis & Treatment, Laboratory of Membrane Ion Channels and Medicine, College of Biomedical Engineering, College of Life Sciences, South-Central Minzu University, Wuhan, China.
Qixin Chen *Department of Cancer Biology, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
Zhiqi Tian *Department of Cancer Biology, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
Le Zhu *School of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
Yang Chen *Department of Cancer Biology, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7661-5923
Jihong Gong *Key Laboratory of Cognitive Science, Hubei Key Laboratory of Medical Information Analysis and Tumor Diagnosis & Treatment, Laboratory of Membrane Ion Channels and Medicine, College of Biomedical Engineering, College of Life Sciences, South-Central Minzu University, Wuhan, China.
Shen WangSchool of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5013-1039
Yijuan XiangWest China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
John S KhamoDepartment of Biochemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA.
Jiaqi FanWest China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
Yi RongKey Laboratory of Cognitive Science, Hubei Key Laboratory of Medical Information Analysis and Tumor Diagnosis & Treatment, Laboratory of Membrane Ion Channels and Medicine, College of Biomedical Engineering, College of Life Sciences, South-Central Minzu University, Wuhan, China.
Yi YuKey Laboratory of Cognitive Science, Hubei Key Laboratory of Medical Information Analysis and Tumor Diagnosis & Treatment, Laboratory of Membrane Ion Channels and Medicine, College of Biomedical Engineering, College of Life Sciences, South-Central Minzu University, Wuhan, China.
Yuyang QinKey Laboratory of Cognitive Science, Hubei Key Laboratory of Medical Information Analysis and Tumor Diagnosis & Treatment, Laboratory of Membrane Ion Channels and Medicine, College of Biomedical Engineering, College of Life Sciences, South-Central Minzu University, Wuhan, China.
Shiping WuKey Laboratory of Cognitive Science, Hubei Key Laboratory of Medical Information Analysis and Tumor Diagnosis & Treatment, Laboratory of Membrane Ion Channels and Medicine, College of Biomedical Engineering, College of Life Sciences, South-Central Minzu University, Wuhan, China.
Youssef FaragallaNational Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Peng CaoNational Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7739-6857
Kai ZhangDepartment of Biochemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA. kaizkaiz@illinois.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6687-4558
Ying LaiWest China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China. ylai@scu.edu.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5347-5155
Ling-Gang WuNational Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Bethesda, MD, USA. wul@ninds.nih.gov.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4261-7079
Cong MaSchool of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China. cong.ma@hust.edu.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7814-0500
Xiaofei YangKey Laboratory of Cognitive Science, Hubei Key Laboratory of Medical Information Analysis and Tumor Diagnosis & Treatment, Laboratory of Membrane Ion Channels and Medicine, College of Biomedical Engineering, College of Life Sciences, South-Central Minzu University, Wuhan, China. sunlittlefly@hotmail.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2121-8258
Jiajie DiaoDepartment of Cancer Biology, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA. jiajie.diao@uc.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4288-3203

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor (SNARE) protein syntaxin mediates neuronal exocytosis and self-assembles into large clusters in the plasma membrane. The formation and function of these clusters, and whether they promote or inhibit synaptic-vesicle fusion, remain unclear. Here using optogenetic control of syntaxin clustering in vitro and in vivo, as a light-inducible gain-of-function assay, we show that light-enhanced clustering reduces both spontaneous and triggered vesicle fusion, and this impairs mouse hunting behavior. Cluster formation is induced by liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) of the SNARE domain of syntaxin. For the regulatory mechanism, Munc18, which is known to alter syntaxin conformation, acts to reduce LLPS for cluster formation, thereby promoting active syntaxin. These results suggest that exocytosis regulation involves LLPS-induced syntaxin clusters that serve as a syntaxin reservoir from which Munc18 captures syntaxin monomers to form a syntaxin-Munc18 complex, setting the stage for efficient fusion.

Indexed as

ExocytosisMunc18 ProteinsNeuronsQa-SNARE ProteinsAnimalsMaleMembrane FusionMiceMice, Inbred C57BLOptogeneticsPhase SeparationMunc18 ProteinsQa-SNARE Proteins

Identifiers

PMID41286451

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.