Regulation of the clathrin-coated vesicle cycle by reversible phosphorylation

Reversible phosphorylation has long been an attractive mechanism to control cycles of coat assembly and disassembly during clathrin-mediated endocytosis. Many of the coat proteins are phosphorylated in vivo and in vitro. Our work has focused on the role of phosphorylation of the mu2 subunit of AP-2 (adaptor protein 2), which appears to be necessary for efficient cargo recruitment. Studies to probe the regulation of mu2 phosphorylation demonstrated that clathrin is a specific activator of the mu2 kinase, and, in permeabilized cells, cargo sequestration, driven by exogenously added clathrin, results in elevated levels of m2 phosphorylation. Furthermore, phosphorylated mu2 is mainly associated with assembled clathrin in vivo and its steady-state level is strongly reduced in cells depleted of clathrin heavy chain. Our results imply a central role for clathrin in the regulation of cargo selection via modulation of phospho-mu2 levels. This is therefore a novel regulatory role for clathrin that is independent of its structural role and that provides elegant spatial control of AP-2 and cargo interactions, ensuring that AP-2 is only activated at the correct cellular location and in the correct functional context. Ongoing studies are exploring further the roles of reversible phosphorylation in the coated vesicle cycle.     

A phosphatidylinositol (4,5)-bisphosphate binding site within mu2-adaptin regulates clathrin-mediated endocytosis

The clathrin adaptor complex AP-2 serves to coordinate clathrin-coated pit assembly with the sorting of transmembrane cargo proteins at the plasmalemma. How precisely AP-2 assembly and cargo protein recognition at sites of endocytosis are regulated has remained unclear, but recent evidence implicates phosphoinositides, in particular phosphatidylinositol (4,5)-bisphosphate (PI[4,5]P2), in these processes. Here we have identified and functionally characterized a conserved binding site for PI(4,5)P2 within mu2-adaptin, the medium chain of the clathrin adaptor complex AP-2. Mutant mu2 lacking a cluster of conserved lysine residues fails to bind PI(4,5)P2 and to compete the recruitment of native clathrin/AP-2 to PI(4,5)P2-containing liposomes or to presynaptic membranes. Moreover, we show that expression of mutant mu2 inhibits receptor-mediated endocytosis in living cells. We suggest that PI(4,5)P2 binding to mu2-adaptin regulates clathrin-mediated endocytosis and thereby may contribute to structurally linking cargo recognition to coat formation.     

Adaptor complex-independent clathrin function in yeast

Clathrin-associated adaptor protein (AP) complexes are major structural components of clathrin-coated vesicles, functioning in clathrin coat assembly and cargo selection. We have carried out a systematic biochemical and genetic characterization of AP complexes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Using coimmunoprecipitation, the subunit composition of two complexes, AP-1 and AP-2R, has been defined. These results allow assignment of the 13 potential AP subunits encoded in the yeast genome to three AP complexes. As assessed by in vitro binding assays and coimmunoprecipitation, only AP-1 interacts with clathrin. Individual or combined disruption of AP-1 subunit genes in cells expressing a temperature-sensitive clathrin heavy chain results in accentuated growth and alpha-factor pheromone maturation defects, providing further evidence that AP-1 is a clathrin adaptor complex. However, in cells expressing wild-type clathrin, the same AP subunit deletions have no effect on growth or alpha-factor maturation. Furthermore, gel filtration chromatography revealed normal elution patterns of clathrin-coated vesicles in cells lacking AP-1. Similarly, combined deletion of genes encoding the beta subunits of the three AP complexes did not produce defects in clathrin-dependent sorting in the endocytic and vacuolar pathways or alterations in gel filtration profiles of clathrin-coated vesicles. We conclude that AP complexes are dispensable for clathrin function in S. cerevisiae under normal conditions. Our results suggest that alternative factors assume key roles in stimulating clathrin coat assembly and cargo selection during clathrin-mediated vesicle formation in yeast.     

The AP-2 complex is excluded from the dynamic population of plasma membrane-associated clathrin

Numerous biologically relevant substrates are selectively internalized via clathrin-mediated endocytosis. At the plasma membrane the AP-2 complex plays a major role in clathrin coat formation, interacting with both cargo and clathrin. Utilizing simultaneous dual-channel total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy we have analyzed components of the AP-2 complex (alpha- and beta 2-adaptin) during clathrin-mediated endocytosis. Although in static images enhanced green fluorescent protein-tagged AP-2 markers significantly co-localized with clathrin and other components of clathrin-coated pits, AP-2 did not seem to be present in clathrin spots that appeared to undergo internalization or motility parallel to the plane of the plasma membrane. Two populations of clathrin at the plasma membrane seem to exist, the dynamic and the static, and AP-2 appears to be only found within the latter. These results suggest that colocalized clathrin/AP-2 puncta may represent loci for coated pit production and that previous models that assumed AP-2 was retained within clathrin coats during endocytosis may need to be re-evaluated.     

Membrane targeting of endocytic adaptors: cargo and lipid do it together

The adaptor complex AP-2 plays an important role in cargo selection and clathrin lattice formation during clathrin-mediated endocytosis. In a recent issue of Molecular Cell, Honing et al. demonstrate that high-affinity AP-2 membrane association is achieved through a combination of low-affinity interactions with membrane phosphoinositides and cargo proteins, regulated by phosphorylation.     

Differential requirements for AP-2 in clathrin-mediated endocytosis

AP-2 complexes are key components in clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME). They trigger clathrin assembly, interact directly with cargo molecules, and recruit a number of endocytic accessory factors. Adaptor-associated kinase (AAK1), an AP-2 binding partner, modulates AP-2 function by phosphorylating its mu2 subunit. Here, we examined the effects of adenoviral-mediated overexpression of WT AAK1, kinase-dead, and truncation mutants in HeLa cells, and show that AAK1 also regulates AP-2 function in vivo. WT AAK1 overexpression selectively blocks transferrin (Tfn) receptor and LRP endocytosis. Inhibition was kinase independent, but required the full-length AAK1 as truncation mutants were not inhibitory. Although changes in mu2 phosphorylation were not detected, AAK1 overexpression significantly decreased the phosphorylation of large adaptin subunits and the normally punctate AP-2 distribution was dispersed, suggesting that AAK1 overexpression inhibited Tfn endocytosis by functionally sequestering AP-2. Surprisingly, clathrin distribution and EGF uptake were unaffected by AAK1 overexpression. Thus, AP-2 may not be stoichiometrically required for coat assembly, and may have a more cargo-selective function in CME than previously thought.     

Endocytosis by random initiation and stabilization of clathrin-coated pits

Clathrin-coated vesicles carry traffic from the plasma membrane to endosomes. We report here the real-time visualization of cargo sorting and endocytosis by clathrin-coated pits in living cells. We have detected the formation of coats by monitoring incorporation of fluorescently tagged clathrin or its adaptor AP-2; we have also followed clathrin-mediated uptake of transferrin and of single LDL or reovirus particles. The intensity of a cargo-loaded clathrin cluster grows steadily during its lifetime, and the time required to complete assembly is proportional to the size of the cargo particle. These results are consistent with a nucleation-growth mechanism and an approximately constant growth rate. There are no strongly preferred nucleation sites. A proportion of the nucleation events are weak and short lived. Cargo incorporation occurs primarily or exclusively in a newly formed coated pit. Our data lead to a model in which coated pits initiate randomly but collapse unless stabilized, perhaps by cargo capture.     

Disabled-2 protein facilitates assembly polypeptide-2-independent recruitment of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator to endocytic vesicles in polarized human airway epithelial cells

Cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) is a cAMP-activated Cl(-) channel expressed in the apical plasma membrane of fluid-transporting epithelia, where the plasma membrane abundance of CFTR is in part controlled by clathrin-mediated endocytosis. The protein networks that control CFTR endocytosis in epithelial cells have only been partially explored. The assembly polypeptide-2 complex (AP-2) is the prototypical endocytic adaptor critical for optimal clathrin coat formation. AP-2 is essential for recruitment of cargo proteins bearing the YXXΦ motif. Although AP-2 interacts directly with CFTR in vitro and facilitates CFTR endocytosis in some cell types, it remains unknown whether it is critical for CFTR uptake into clathrin-coated vesicles (CCVs). Disabled-2 (Dab2) is a clathrin-associated sorting protein (CLASP) that contributes to clathrin recruitment, vesicle formation, and cargo selection. In intestinal epithelial cells Dab2 was not found to play a direct role in CFTR endocytosis. By contrast, AP-2 and Dab2 were shown to facilitate CFTR endocytosis in human airway epithelial cells, although the specific mechanism remains unknown. Our data demonstrate that Dab2 mediates AP-2 independent recruitment of CFTR to CCVs in polarized human airway epithelial cells. As a result, it facilitates CFTR endocytosis and reduces CFTR abundance and stability in the plasma membrane. These effects are mediated by the DAB homology domain. Moreover, we show that in human airway epithelial cells AP-2 is not essential for CFTR recruitment to CCVs.     

Tyrosine-based endocytic motifs stimulate oligomerization of AP-2 adaptor complexes

The clathrin adaptor complex AP-2 functions in the assembly of clathrin-coated vesicles at the plasma membrane where it serves to couple endocytic vesicle formation to the selection of membrane cargo proteins. Recent evidence suggests that binding of tyrosine-based endocytic sorting motifs may induce a conformational change within the AP-2 adaptor complex that could enhance its interaction with other cargo molecules and with the membrane. We report here that soluble tyrosine-based endocytic sorting motif peptides facilitate clathrin/AP-2 recruitment to liposomal membranes and induce adaptor oligomerization even in the absence of a lipid bilayer. These effects are specific for endocytic motifs of the type Yxxphi whereas peptides corresponding to NPxY- or di-leucine-containing sorting signals are ineffective. Our data may help to explain how the highly cooperative assembly of clathrin and adaptors could be linked to the selection of membrane cargo proteins.     

Dual engagement regulation of protein interactions with the AP-2 adaptor alpha appendage

Clathrin-mediated endocytosis depends upon the coordinated assembly of a large number of discrete clathrin coat components to couple cargo selection with rapid internalization from the cell surface. Accordingly, the heterotetrameric AP-2 adaptor complex binds not only to clathrin and select cargo molecules, but also to an extensive family of endocytic accessory factors and alternate sorting adaptors. Physical associations between accessory proteins and AP-2 occur primarily through DP(F/W) or FXDXF motifs, which engage an interaction surface positioned on the C-terminal platform subdomain of the independently folded alpha subunit appendage. Here, we find that the WXX(F/W)X(D/E) interaction motif found in several endocytic proteins, including synaptojanin 1, stonin 2, AAK1, GAK, and NECAP1, binds a second interaction site on the bilobal alpha appendage, located on the N-terminal beta sandwich subdomain. Both alpha appendage binding sites can be engaged synchronously, and our data reveal that varied assemblies of interaction motifs with different affinities for two sites upon the alpha appendage can provide a mechanism for temporal ordering of endocytic accessory proteins during clathrin-mediated endocytosis.     

NECAP 1 Regulates AP-2 Interactions to Control Vesicle Size,Number, and Cargo During Clathrin-Mediated Endocytosis

AP-2 is the core-organizing element in clathrin-mediated endocytosis. During the formation of clathrin-coated vesicles, clathrin and endocytic accessory proteins interact with AP-2 in a temporally and spatially controlled manner, yet it remains elusive as to how these interactions are regulated. Here, we demonstrate that the endocytic protein NECAP 1, which binds to the α-ear of AP-2 through a C-terminal WxxF motif, uses an N-terminal PH-like domain to compete with clathrin for access to the AP-2 β2-linker, revealing a means to allow AP-2–mediated coordination of accessory protein recruitment and clathrin polymerization at sites of vesicle formation. Knockdown and functional rescue studies demonstrate that through these interactions, NECAP 1 and AP-2 cooperate to increase the probability of clathrin-coated vesicle formation and to control the number, size, and cargo content of the vesicles. Together, our data demonstrate that NECAP 1 modulates the AP-2 interactome and reveal a new layer of organizational control within the endocytic machinery.     

Cargo recognition during clathrin-mediated endocytosis: a team effort

Transmembrane proteins destined to endosomes are selectively accumulated in clathrin-coated pits at the plasma membrane and rapidly internalized in clathrin-coated vesicles. The recognition of specific sequence motifs in transmembrane cargo by coated-pit proteins confers specificity on the endocytic process. Interaction of membrane cargo with the clathrin adaptor protein complex AP-2 is the major mechanism of cargo sorting into coated pits in mammalian cells. Recent studies have revealed a variety of alternative mechanisms of cargo recruitment involving additional adaptor proteins. These alternative mechanisms appear to be particularly important during clathrin-mediated endocytosis of signaling receptors.     

Single-molecule live-cell imaging of clathrin-based endocytosis

Clathrin-coated vesicles carry traffic from the plasma membrane to endosomes. We report here the first real-time visualization of cargo sorting and endocytosis by clathrin-coated pits in living cells. We have visualized the formation of coats by monitoring the incorporation of fluorescently tagged clathrin or its adaptor AP-2 (adaptor protein 2), and have followed clathrin-mediated uptake of transferrin, single LDL (low-density lipoprotein) and single reovirus particles. The intensity of a cargo-loaded clathrin cluster grows steadily during its lifetime, and the time required to complete assembly is proportional to the size of the cargo particle. These results are consistent with a nucleation-growth mechanism and an approximately constant growth rate. There are no preferred nucleation sites. A proportion of the nucleation events appear to be abortive. Cargo incorporation occurs primarily or exclusively in a newly formed coated pit, and loading appears to commit that pit to finish assembly. Our data led to a model in which coated pits initiate randomly, but collapse with high likelihood unless stabilized, presumably by cargo capture.     

Functional analysis of interaction sites on the N-terminal domain of clathrin heavy chain

In clathrin-mediated membrane traffic, clathrin does not bind directly to cargo and instead binds to adaptors that mediate this function. For endocytosis, the main adaptor is the adaptor protein (AP)-2 complex, but it is uncertain how clathrin contacts AP-2. Here we tested in human cells the importance of the three binding sites that have been identified so far on the N-terminal domain (NTD) of clathrin. We find that mutation of each of the three sites on the NTD, alone or in combination, does not block clathrin/AP-2-mediated endocytosis in the same way as deletion of the NTD. We report here the fourth and final site on the NTD that is required for clathrin/AP-2-mediated endocytic function. Each of the four interaction sites can operate alone to mediate endocytosis. The observed functional redundancy between interaction sites on the NTD explains how productivity of clathrin-coated vesicle formation is ensured.     

Stonin 2 is an AP-2-dependent endocytic sorting adaptor for synaptotagmin internalization and recycling

Clathrin-mediated endocytosis is involved in the internalization, recycling, and degradation of cycling membrane receptors as well as in the biogenesis of synaptic vesicle proteins. While many constitutively internalized cargo proteins are recognized directly by the clathrin adaptor complex AP-2, stimulation-dependent endocytosis of membrane proteins is often facilitated by specialized sorting adaptors. Although clathrin-mediated endocytosis appears to be a major pathway for presynaptic vesicle cycling, no sorting adaptor dedicated to synaptic vesicle membrane protein endocytosis has been indentified in mammals. Here, we show that stonin 2, a mammalian ortholog of Drosophila stoned B, facilitates clathrin/AP-2-dependent internalization of synaptotagmin and targets it to a recycling vesicle pool in living neurons. The ability of stonin 2 to facilitate endocytosis of synaptotagmin is dependent on its association with AP-2, an intact mu-homology domain, and functional AP-2 heterotetramers. Our data identify stonin 2 as an AP-2-dependent endocytic sorting adaptor for synaptotagmin internalization and recycling.     

A Distributed Set of Interactions Controls ��2 Functionality in the Role of AP-2 as a Sorting Adaptor in Synaptic Vesicle Endocytosis

The mechanisms of how, following exocytosis, the approximately nine types of synaptic vesicle (SV) transmembrane proteins are accurately resorted to form SVs are poorly understood. The time course of SV endocytosis is very sensitive to perturbations in clathrin and dynamin, supporting the model that SV endocytosis occurs through a clathrin-mediated pathway. We recently demonstrated that removal of the clathrin adaptor protein AP-2, the key protein thought to coordinate cargo selection into clathrin-coated pits, results in a significant impairment in endocytosis kinetics. Endocytosis, however, still proceeds in the absence of AP-2, bringing into question the role of AP-2 in cargo sorting in this process. Using quantitative endocytosis assays at nerve terminals, we examined how endocytosis depends on the integrity of μ2 function. Our experiments indicate that no single perturbation in μ2 prevents restoration of endocytic function when mutated μ2 replaces native μ2, whereas introduction of multiple distributed mutations significantly impairs endocytosis. We also examined whether the presence of AP-2 is important for the functionality of the previously identified endocytic motif in an SV cargo protein, the dileucine motif in vGlut-1. These data show that while mutations in the dileucine motif slow the retrieval of vGlut-1, they only do so in the presence of AP-2. These data thus indicate that AP-2 plays a role in cargo selection but that no single aspect of μ2 function is critical, implying that a more distributed network of interactions supports AP-2 function in SV endocytosis.     

Phosphoinositide-mediated clathrin adaptor progression at the trans-Golgi network

Clathrin-coated vesicles mediate endocytosis and transport between the trans-Golgi network (TGN) and endosomes in eukaryotic cells. Clathrin adaptors play central roles in coat assembly, interacting with clathrin, cargo and membranes. Two main types of clathrin adaptor act in TGN-endosome traffic: GGA proteins and the AP-1 complex. Here we characterize the relationship between GGA proteins, AP-1 and other TGN clathrin adaptors using live-cell and super-resolution microscopy in yeast. We present evidence that GGA proteins and AP-1 are recruited sequentially in two waves of coat assembly at the TGN. Mutations that decrease phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate (PtdIns(4)P) levels at the TGN slow or uncouple AP-1 coat assembly from GGA coat assembly. Conversely, enhanced PtdIns(4)P synthesis shortens the time between adaptor waves. Gga2p binds directly to the TGN PtdIns(4)-kinase Pik1p and contributes to Pik1p recruitment. These results identify a PtdIns(4)P-based mechanism for regulating progressive assembly of adaptor-specific clathrin coats at the TGN.     

Disabled-2 exhibits the properties of a cargo-selective endocytic clathrin adaptor

Clathrin-coated pits at the cell surface select material for transportation into the cell interior. A major mode of cargo selection at the bud site is via the micro 2 subunit of the AP-2 adaptor complex, which recognizes tyrosine-based internalization signals. Other internalization motifs and signals, including phosphorylation and ubiquitylation, also tag certain proteins for incorporation into a coated vesicle, but the mechanism of selection is unclear. Disabled-2 (Dab2) recognizes the FXNPXY internalization motif in LDL-receptor family members via an N-terminal phosphotyrosine-binding (PTB) domain. Here, we show that in addition to binding AP-2, Dab2 also binds directly to phosphoinositides and to clathrin, assembling triskelia into regular polyhedral coats. The FXNPXY motif and phosphoinositides contact different regions of the PTB domain, but can stably anchor Dab2 to the membrane surface, while the distal AP-2 and clathrin-binding determinants regulate clathrin lattice assembly. We propose that Dab2 is a typical member of a growing family of cargo-specific adaptor proteins, including beta-arrestin, AP180, epsin, HIP1 and numb, which regulate clathrin-coat assembly at the plasma membrane by synchronizing cargo selection and lattice polymerization events.     

Endocytic adaptor molecules reveal an endosomal population of clathrin by total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy

Most eukaryotes utilize a single pool of clathrin to assemble clathrin-coated transport vesicles at different intracellular locations. Coat assembly is a cyclical process. Soluble clathrin triskelia are recruited to the membrane surface by compartment-specific adaptor and/or accessory proteins. Adjacent triskelia then pack together to assemble a polyhedral lattice that progressively invaginates, budding off the membrane surface encasing a nascent transport vesicle that is quickly uncoated. Using total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy to follow clathrin dynamics close to the cell surface, we find that the majority of labeled clathrin structures are relatively static, moving vertically in and out of the evanescent field but with little lateral motion. A small minority shows rapid lateral and directed movement over micrometer distances. Adaptor proteins, including the alpha subunit of AP-2, ARH, and Dab2 are also relatively static and exhibit virtually no lateral movement. A fluorescently labeled AP-2 beta2 subunit, incorporated into both AP-2 and AP-1 adaptor complexes, exhibits both types of behavior. This suggests that the highly motile clathrin puncta may be distinct from plasma membrane-associated clathrin structures. When endocytosed cargo molecules, such as transferrin or low density lipoprotein, are followed into cells, they exhibit even more lateral motion than clathrin, and gradually concentrate in the perinuclear region, consistent with classical endosomal trafficking. Importantly, clathrin partially colocalizes with internalized transferrin, but diverges as the structures move longitudinally. Thus, highly motile clathrin structures are apparently distinct from the plasma membrane, accompany transferrin, and contain AP-1, revealing an endosomal population of clathrin structures.