The Bin/Amphiphysin/Rvs (BAR) domain of Schizosaccharomyces pombe Meiotically Up-regulated Gene 137 protein and similar proteins
BAR domains are dimerization, lipid binding and curvature sensing modules found in many different proteins with diverse functions including organelle biogenesis, membrane trafficking or remodeling, and cell division and migration. This subfamily is composed predominantly of uncharacterized fungal proteins with similarity to Schizosaccharomyces pombe Meiotically Up-regulated Gene 137 protein (MUG137), which may play a role in meiosis and sporulation in fission yeast. MUG137 contains an N-terminal BAR domain and a C-terminal SH3 domain, similar to endophilins. Endophilins play roles in synaptic vesicle formation, virus budding, mitochondrial morphology maintenance, receptor-mediated endocytosis inhibition, and endosomal sorting. BAR domains form dimers that bind to membranes, induce membrane bending and curvature, and may also be involved in protein-protein interactions.