SNARE Complex

The SNARE complex is the assembly of proteins (SNAP-25, syntaxin, and VAMP/synaptobrevin) that mediates the fusion of secretory vesicles with the cell membrane, the step underlying calcium-dependent neurotransmitter release.

Some cosmetic-research peptides are described by a proposed mechanism of competitively mimicking a SNARE component to modulate that fusion machinery — a mechanistic hypothesis studied in vitro, distinct from the enzymatic cleavage used by botulinum toxins.