The F-BAR (FES-CIP4 Homology and Bin/Amphiphysin/Rvs) domain of Protein kinase C and Casein kinase Substrate in Neurons 1 (PACSIN1)
F-BAR domains are dimerization modules that bind and bend membranes and are found in proteins involved in membrane dynamics and actin reorganization. Protein kinase C and Casein kinase Substrate in Neurons (PACSIN) proteins, also called Synaptic dynamin-associated proteins (Syndapins), act as regulators of cytoskeletal and membrane dynamics. Vetebrates harbor three isoforms with distinct expression patterns and specific functions. PACSIN 1 or Syndapin I is expressed specifically in the brain and is localized in neurites and synaptic boutons. It binds the brain-specific proteins dynamin I, synaptojanin, synapsin I, and neural Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein (nWASP), and functions as a link between the cytoskeletal machinery and synaptic vesicle endocytosis. PACSIN 1 interacts with huntingtin and may be implicated in the neuropathology of Huntington's disease. It contains an N-terminal F-BAR domain and a C-terminal SH3 domain. F-BAR domains form banana-shaped dimers with a positively-charged concave surface that binds to negatively-charged lipid membranes. They can induce membrane deformation in the form of long tubules.