Processive ATP-driven Substrate Disassembly by the N-Ethylmaleimide-sensitive Factor (NSF) Molecular Machine

SNARE proteins promote membrane fusion by forming a four-stranded parallel helical bundle that brings the membranes into close proximity. Post-fusion, the complex is disassembled by an AAA+ ATPase called N -ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor (NSF). We present evidence that NSF uses a processive unwinding mechanism to disassemble SNARE proteins. Using a real-time disassembly assay based on fluorescence dequenching, we correlate NSF-driven disassembly rates with the SNARE-activated ATPase activity of NSF. Neuronal SNAREs activate the ATPase rate of NSF by ∼26-fold. One SNARE complex takes an average of ∼5 s to disassemble in a process that consumes ∼50 ATP. Investigations of substrate requirements show that NSF is capable of disassembling a truncated SNARE substrate consisting of only the core SNARE domain, but not an unrelated four-stranded coiled-coil. NSF can also disassemble an engineered double-length SNARE complex, suggesting a processive unwinding mechanism. We further investigated processivity using single-turnover experiments, which show that SNAREs can be unwound in a single encounter with NSF. We propose a processive helicase-like mechanism for NSF in which ∼1 residue is unwound for every hydrolyzed ATP molecule. Background: NSF is an AAA+ protein that recycles the post-fusion SNARE complex during the membrane fusion cycle. Results: NSF disassembles the SNARE complex processively in vitro and consumes dozens of ATP molecules per SNARE. Conclusion: NSF is a processive motor that progressively unwinds the SNARE complex. Significance: The physical mechanism of this poorly understood machine is illuminated using new assays and new measurements of ATP coupling ratios and processivity.