Synaptophysin (p38) is an integral membrane protein of small synaptic vesicles in brain and endocrine cells.Synaptophysin contains four transmembrane domains that form a hexameric channel or gap junction-like pore. Synaptophysin binds to the SNARE protein synaptobrevin/VAMP, which prevents the inclusion of synaptobrevin in the synaptic vesicle fusion complex and creates a pool of synaptobrevin for exocytosis when synapse activity increases. Synaptophysin is also responsible for targeting synaptobrevin 2/VAMP2 to synaptic vesicles, a critical component of the fusion complex.
