NSF

NSF may stand for:

Political organizations

Other organizations

Medicine

Deus Ex

Deus Ex is a cyberpunk-themed action role-playing video game—combining first-person shooter, stealth and role-playing elements—developed by Ion Storm and published by Eidos Interactive in 2000. First published for personal computers running Microsoft Windows, Deus Ex was later ported to Mac OS systems and PlayStation 2. Set in a dystopian world during the year 2052, the central plot follows rookie United Nations Anti-Terrorist Coalition agent JC Denton, as he sets out to combat terrorist forces, which have become increasingly prevalent in a world slipping ever further into chaos. As the plot unfolds, Denton becomes entangled in a deep and ancient conspiracy, encountering organizations such as Majestic 12, the Illuminati and the Hong Kong Triads during his journey.

The game received universal critical acclaim, including repeatedly being named "Best PC Game of All Time" in PC Gamer's "Top 100 PC Games" in 2011 and in a poll carried out by UK gaming magazine PC Zone. It was a frequent candidate for and winner of Game of the Year awards, drawing praise for its pioneering designs in player choice and multiple narrative paths. It has sold more than 1 million copies, as of April 23, 2009. The game has spawned both a sequel, Deus Ex: Invisible War, released in 2003, and a prequel, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, released in 2011.

N-ethylmaleimide sensitive fusion protein

N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor, also known as NSF or N-ethylmaleimide sensitive fusion proteins, is an enzyme which in humans is encoded by the NSF gene.

Function

NSF is a homohexameric AAA ATPase involved in membrane fusion. NSF is ubiquitously found in the cytoplasm of eukaryotic cells. It is a central component of the cellular machinery in the transfer of membrane vesicles from one membrane compartment to another. During this process, SNARE proteins on two joining membranes (usually a vesicle and a target membrane such as the plasma membrane) form a tight complex. This aids fusion of the vesicle with the target membrane. It has been proposed that the role of NSF is to undo these SNARE complexes once membrane fusion has occurred, using the hydrolysis of ATP as an energy source, allowing the dissociated SNAREs to be recycled for reuse in further rounds of membrane fusion. This proposal remains controversial, however. Recent work indicates that the ATPase function of NSF does not function in recycling of vesicles but rather functions in the act of fusing vesicles with the plasma membrane.