Mitochondrial fusion enables a metabolic transition during spermatogenesis.

The tethering complex HOPS employs affinity for each of the 4 SNAREs to catalyze assembly of 3-SNARE intermediates, supporting an immediate burst of membrane fusion triggered by the 4th SNARE.

Induction of the fission of mitochondria-populating sensory axons is shown to be a novel biological action of neurotrophins.

Sec17 (αSNAP) and Sec18 (NSF) are shown to act twice, to promote fusion per se and to recycle SNAREs after fusion.

Molecular, genetic, and functional analysis is used to show that the olfactory Na+/Ca2+, K+ exchanger NCKX4 is expressed in cone photoreceptors and is critical for the wide operating range and high temporal resolution of cone-mediated vision.

Structure, dynamics, and mutation of a gamete fusion protein and comparisons to viral homologues suggest that after trimerization the domain bearing the membrane-inserting fusion loops can pivot with respect to the trimer 3-fold axis.

Structural flexibility of the synaptobrevin-2 transmembrane domain promotes membrane fusion.

Lipids with a propensity to form nonbilayer structures must be present for the last step of membrane fusion to take place.

The SNAP-25 linker acts as a functional component of SNARE complexes, initially facilitating SNARE interactions and later promoting fusion triggering and pore evolution by local membrane contacts.

Chick optic fissure closure is a powerful new model system for epithelial fusion and has revealed Netrin-1 as a conserved and essential mediator of tissue fusion in multiple contexts.