Rab5-mediated endosome formation is regulated at the trans-Golgi network

Early endosomes, also called sorting endosomes, are known to mature into late endosomesvia the Rab5-mediated endolysosomal trafficking pathway. Thus, early endosome existence isthought to be maintained by the continual fusion of transport vesicles from the plasmamembrane and thetrans-Golgi network (TGN). Here we show instead that endocytosis isdispensable and post-Golgi vesicle transport is crucial for the formation of endosomes andthe subsequent endolysosomal traffic regulated by yeast Rab5 Vps21p. Fittingly, all threeproteins required for endosomal nucleotide exchange on Vps21p arefirst recruited to theTGN before transport to the endosome, namely the GEF Vps9p and the epsin-relatedadaptors Ent3/5p. The TGN recruitment of these components is distinctly controlled, withVps9p appearing to require the Arf1p GTPase, and the Rab11s, Ypt31p/32p. These resultsprovide a different view of endosome formation and identify the TGN as a critical location forregulating progress through the endolysosomal trafficking pathway

Yeast Eps15-like endocytic protein Pan1p regulates the interaction between endocytic vesicles, endosomes and the actin cytoskeleton

The actin cytoskeleton plays important roles in the formation and internalization of endocytic vesicles. In yeast, endocytic vesicles move towards early endosomes along actin cables, however, the molecular machinery regulating interaction between endocytic vesicles and actin cables is poorly understood. The Eps15-like protein Pan1p plays a key role in actin-mediated endocytosis and is negatively regulated by Ark1 and Prk1 kinases. Here we show that pan1 mutated to prevent phosphorylation at all 18 threonines, pan1-18TA, displayed almost the same endocytic defect as ark1Δ prk1Δ cells, and contained abnormal actin concentrations including several endocytic compartments. Early endosomes were highly localized in the actin concentrations and displayed movement along actin cables. The dephosphorylated form of Pan1p also caused stable associations between endocytic vesicles and actin cables, and between endocytic vesicles and endosomes. Thus Pan1 phosphorylation is part of a novel mechanism that regulates endocytic compartment interactions with each other and with actin cables

Cofilin Phosphorylation by Protein Kinase Testicular Protein Kinase 1 and Its Role in Integrin-mediated Actin Reorganization and Focal Adhesion Formation

科研費報告書収録論文(課題番号:11480213・基盤研究(B)(2)・H11～H12/研究代表者:水野, 健作/LIMキナーゼによるアクチン細胞骨格の制御機構の解明

The yeast Arf-GAP Glo3p is required for the endocytic recycling of cell surface proteins

Small GTP-binding proteins of the Ras superfamily play diverse roles in intracellular trafficking. Among them, the Rab, Arf, and Rho families function in successive steps of vesicle transport, in forming vesicles from donor membranes, directing vesicle trafficking toward target membranes and docking vesicles onto target membranes. These proteins act as molecular switches that are controlled by a cycle of GTP binding and hydrolysis regulated by guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) and GTPase-activating proteins (GAPs). In this study we explored the role of GAPs in the regulation of the endocytic pathway using fluorescently labeled yeast mating pheromone α-factor. Among 25 non-essential GAP mutants, we found that deletion of the GLO3 gene, encoding Arf-GAP protein, caused defective internalization of fluorescently labeled α-factor. Quantitative analysis revealed that glo3Δ cells show defective α-factor binding to the cell surface. Interestingly, Ste2p, the α-factor receptor, was mis-localized from the plasma membrane to the vacuole in glo3Δ cells. Domain deletion mutants of Glo3p revealed that a GAP-independent function, as well as the GAP activity, of Glo3p is important for both α-factor binding and Ste2p localization at the cell surface. Additionally, we found that deletion of the GLO3 gene affects the size and number of Arf1p-residing Golgi compartments and causes a defect in transport from the TGN to the plasma membrane. Furthermore, we demonstrated that glo3Δ cells were defective in the late endosome-to-TGN transport pathway, but not in the early endosome-to-TGN transport pathway. These findings suggest novel roles for Arf-GAP Glo3p in endocytic recycling of cell surface proteins

Rab5-independent activation and function of yeast Rab7-like protein, Ypt7p, in the AP-3 pathway.

The small GTPases, Rab5 and Rab7, are key regulators at multiple stages of the endocytic/endolysosomal pathway, including fusion and maturation of endosomes. In yeast, Vps21p (Rab5 homolog) recruits a GEF for Rab7 and activates the downstream Ypt7p (Rab7 homolog) on endosomal membrane. Although the model of this sequential activation from Vps21p to Ypt7p in the endocytic pathway has been established, activation mechanism of Ypt7p in the Vps21p-independent pathway has not been completely clarified. Here we show that Ypt7p is activated and mediates vacuolar fusion in cells lacking all yeast Rab5 genes, VPS21, YPT52, and YPT53. We also demonstrate that deletion of both VPS21 and YPT7 genes cause severe defect in the AP-3 pathway as well as the CPY pathway although the AP-3 pathway is mostly intact in each vps21Δ or ypt7Δ mutant. Interestingly, in vps21Δ ypt7Δ mutant cargos trafficked via the VPS or endocytic pathway accumulate beside nucleus whereas cargo trafficked via the AP-3 pathway disperse in the cytosol. These findings suggest that Ypt7p is activated and plays a Rab5-independent role in the AP-3-mediated pathway