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.     

Recycling endosomes of polarized epithelial cells actively sort apical and basolateral cargos into separate subdomains

The plasma membranes of epithelial cells plasma membranes contain distinct apical and basolateral domains that are critical for their polarized functions. However, both domains are continuously internalized, with proteins and lipids from each intermixing in supranuclear recycling endosomes (REs). To maintain polarity, REs must faithfully recycle membrane proteins back to the correct plasma membrane domains. We examined sorting within REs and found that apical and basolateral proteins were laterally segregated into subdomains of individual REs. Subdomains were absent in unpolarized cells and developed along with polarization. Subdomains were formed by an active sorting process within REs, which precedes the formation of AP-1B-dependent basolateral transport vesicles. Both the formation of subdomains and the fidelity of basolateral trafficking were dependent on PI3 kinase activity. This suggests that subdomain and transport vesicle formation occur as separate sorting steps and that both processes may contribute to sorting fidelity.     

AP-1 is required for the maintenance of apico-basal polarity in the C. elegans intestine

Epithelial tubes perform functions that are essential for the survival of multicellular organisms. Understanding how their polarised features are maintained is therefore crucial. By analysing the function of the clathrin adaptor AP-1 in the C. elegans intestine, we found that AP-1 is required for epithelial polarity maintenance. Depletion of AP-1 subunits does not affect epithelial polarity establishment or the formation of the intestinal lumen. However, the loss of AP-1 affects the polarised distribution of both apical and basolateral transmembrane proteins. Moreover, it triggers de novo formation of ectopic apical lumens between intestinal cells along the lateral membranes later during embryogenesis. We also found that AP-1 is specifically required for the apical localisation of the small GTPase CDC-42 and the polarity determinant PAR-6. Our results demonstrate that AP-1 controls an apical trafficking pathway required for the maintenance of epithelial polarity in vivo in a tubular epithelium.     

Distribution and function of AP-1 clathrin adaptor complexes in polarized epithelial cells

Expression of the epithelial cell-specific heterotetrameric adaptor complex AP-1B is required for the polarized distribution of many membrane proteins to the basolateral surface of LLC-PK1 kidney cells. AP-1B is distinguished from the ubiquitously expressed AP-1A by exchange of its single 50-kD mu subunit, mu1A, being replaced by the closely related mu1B. Here we show that this substitution is sufficient to couple basolateral plasma membrane proteins, such as a low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR), to the AP-1B complex and to clathrin. The interaction between LDLR and AP-1B is likely to occur in the trans-Golgi network (TGN), as was suggested by the localization of functional, epitope-tagged mu1 by immunofluorescence and immunoelectron microscopy. Tagged AP-1A and AP-1B complexes were found in the perinuclear region close to the Golgi complex and recycling endosomes, often in clathrin-coated buds and vesicles. Yet, AP-1A and AP-1B localized to different subdomains of the TGN, with only AP-1A colocalizing with furin, a membrane protein that uses AP-1 to recycle between the TGN and endosomes. We conclude that AP-1B functions by interacting with its cargo molecules and clathrin in the TGN, where it acts to sort basolateral proteins from proteins destined for the apical surface and from those selected by AP-1A for transport to endosomes and lysosomes.     

Cross-talk between clathrin-dependent post-Golgi trafficking and clathrin-mediated endocytosis in Arabidopsis root cells

Coupling of post-Golgi and endocytic membrane transport ensures that the flow of materials to/from the plasma membrane (PM) is properly balanced. The mechanisms underlying the coordinated trafficking of PM proteins in plants, however, are not well understood. In plant cells, clathrin and its adaptor protein complexes, AP-2 and the TPLATE complex (TPC) at the PM, and AP-1 at the trans-Golgi network/early endosome (TGN/EE), function in clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME) and post-Golgi trafficking. Here, we utilized mutants with defects in clathrin-dependent post-Golgi trafficking and CME, in combination with other cytological and pharmacological approaches, to further investigate the machinery behind the coordination of protein delivery and recycling to/from the TGN/EE and PM in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) root cells. In mutants with defective AP-2-/TPC-dependent CME, we determined that clathrin and AP-1 recruitment to the TGN/EE as well as exocytosis are significantly impaired. Likewise, defects in AP-1-dependent post-Golgi trafficking and pharmacological inhibition of exocytosis resulted in the reduced association of clathrin and AP-2/TPC subunits with the PM and a reduction in the internalization of cargoes via CME. Together, these results suggest that post-Golgi trafficking and CME are coupled via modulation of clathrin and adaptor protein complex recruitment to the TGN/EE and PM.     

Clathrin Terminal Domain-Ligand Interactions Regulate Sorting of Mannose 6-Phosphate Receptors Mediated by AP-1 and GGA Adaptors

Clathrin plays important roles in intracellular membrane traffic including endocytosis of plasma membrane proteins and receptors and protein sorting between the trans-Golgi network (TGN) and endosomes. Whether clathrin serves additional roles in receptor recycling, degradative sorting, or constitutive secretion has remained somewhat controversial. Here we have used acute pharmacological perturbation of clathrin terminal domain (TD) function to dissect the role of clathrin in intracellular membrane traffic. We report that internalization of major histocompatibility complex I (MHCI) is inhibited in cells depleted of clathrin or its major clathrin adaptor complex 2 (AP-2), a phenotype mimicked by application of Pitstop® inhibitors of clathrin TD function. Hence, MHCI endocytosis occurs via a clathrin/AP-2-dependent pathway. Acute perturbation of clathrin also impairs the dynamics of intracellular clathrin/adaptor complex 1 (AP-1)- or GGA (Golgi-localized, γ-ear-containing, Arf-binding protein)-coated structures at the TGN/endosomal interface, resulting in the peripheral dispersion of mannose 6-phosphate receptors. By contrast, secretory traffic of vesicular stomatitis virus G protein, recycling of internalized transferrin from endosomes, or degradation of EGF receptor proceeds unperturbed in cells with impaired clathrin TD function. These data indicate that clathrin is required for the function of AP-1- and GGA-coated carriers at the TGN but may be dispensable for outward traffic en route to the plasma membrane.     

Auxilin is required for formation of Golgi-derived clathrin-coated vesicles during Drosophila spermatogenesis

Clathrin has previously been implicated in Drosophila male fertility and spermatid individualization. To understand further the role of membrane transport in this process, we analyzed the phenotypes of mutations in Drosophila auxilin (aux), a regulator of clathrin function, in spermatogenesis. Like partial loss-of-function Clathrin heavy chain (Chc) mutants, aux mutant males are sterile and produce no mature sperm. The reproductive defects of aux males were rescued by male germ cell-specific expression of aux, indicating that auxilin function is required autonomously in the germ cells. Furthermore, this rescue depends on both the clathrin-binding and J domains, suggesting that the ability of Aux to bind clathrin and the Hsc70 ATPase is essential for sperm formation. aux mutant spermatids show a deficit in formation of the plasma membrane during elongation, which probably disrupts the subsequent coordinated migration of investment cones during individualization. In wild-type germ cells, GFP-tagged clathrin localized to clusters of vesicular structures near the Golgi. These structures also contained the Golgi-associated clathrin adaptor AP-1, suggesting that they were Golgi-derived. By contrast, in aux mutant cells, clathrin localized to abnormal patches surrounding the Golgi and its colocalization with AP-1 was disrupted. Based on these results, we propose that Golgi-derived clathrin-positive vesicles are normally required for sustaining the plasma membrane increase necessary for spermatid differentiation. Our data suggest that Aux participates in forming these Golgi-derived clathrin-positive vesicles and that Aux, therefore, has a role in the secretory pathway.     

A Highlights from MBoC Selection: α-Arrestins Aly1 and Aly2 Regulate Intracellular Trafficking in Response to Nutrient Signaling

Extracellular signals regulate trafficking events to reorganize proteins at the plasma membrane (PM); however, few effectors of this regulation have been identified. β-Arrestins relay signaling cues to the trafficking machinery by controlling agonist-stimulated endocytosis of G-protein–coupled receptors. In contrast, we show that yeast α-arrestins, Aly1 and Aly2, control intracellular sorting of Gap1, the general amino acid permease, in response to nutrients. These studies are the first to demonstrate association of α-arrestins with clathrin and clathrin adaptor proteins (AP) and show that Aly1 and Aly2 interact directly with the γ-subunit of AP-1, Apl4. Aly2-dependent trafficking of Gap1 requires AP-1, which mediates endosome-to-Golgi transport, and the nutrient-regulated kinase, Npr1, which phosphorylates Aly2. During nitrogen starvation, Npr1 phosphorylation of Aly2 may stimulate Gap1 incorporation into AP-1/clathrin-coated vesicles to promote Gap1 trafficking from endosomes to the trans-Golgi network. Ultimately, increased Aly1-/Aly2-mediated recycling of Gap1 from endosomes results in higher Gap1 levels within cells and at the PM by diverting Gap away from trafficking pathways that lead to vacuolar degradation. This work defines a new role for arrestins in membrane trafficking and offers insight into how α-arrestins coordinate signaling events with protein trafficking.     

The clathrin adaptor complex 1 directly binds to a sorting signal in Ste13p to reduce the rate of its trafficking to the late endosome of yeast

Yeast trans-Golgi network (TGN) membrane proteins maintain steady-state localization by constantly cycling to and from endosomes. In this study, we examined the trafficking itinerary and molecular requirements for delivery of a model TGN protein A(F-->A)-alkaline phosphatase (ALP) to the prevacuolar/endosomal compartment (PVC). A(F-->A)-ALP was found to reach the PVC via early endosomes (EEs) with a half-time of approximately 60 min. Delivery of A(F-->A)-ALP to the PVC was not dependent on either the GGA or adaptor protein 1 (AP-1) type of clathrin adaptors, which are thought to function in TGN to PVC and TGN to EE transport, respectively. Surprisingly, in cells lacking the function of both GGA and AP-1 adaptors, A(F-->A)-ALP transport to the PVC was dramatically accelerated. A 12-residue cytosolic domain motif of A(F-->A)-ALP was found to mediate direct binding to AP-1 and was sufficient to slow TGN-->EE-->PVC trafficking. These results suggest a model in which this novel sorting signal targets A(F-->A)-ALP into clathrin/AP-1 vesicles at the EE for retrieval back to the TGN.     

Dynamics of clathrin and adaptor proteins during endocytosis

The endocytic adaptor complex AP-2 colocalizes with the majority of clathrin-positive spots at the cell surface. However, we previously observed that AP-2 is excluded from internalizing clathrin-coated vesicles (CCVs). The present studies quantitatively demonstrate that AP-2 disengages from sites of endocytosis seconds before internalization of the nascent CCV. In contrast, epsin, an alternate adaptor for clathrin at the plasma membrane, disappeared, along with clathrin. This suggests that epsin remains an integral part of the CCV throughout endocytosis. Clathrin spots at the cell surface represent a heterogeneous population: a majority (70%) of the spots disappeared with a time course of 4 min, whereas a minority (22%) remained static for 30 min. The static clathrin spots undergo constant subunit exchange, suggesting that although they are static structures, these spots comprise functional clathrin molecules, rather than dead-end aggregates. These results support a model where AP-2 serves a cargo-sorting function before endocytosis, whereas alternate adaptors, such as epsin, actually link cargo to the clathrin coat surrounding nascent endocytic vesicles. These data also support a role for static clathrin, providing a nucleation site for endocytosis. adaptor complex; epsin; total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy     

Myosin VI is required for sorting of AP-1B-dependent cargo to the basolateral domain in polarized MDCK cells

In polarized epithelial cells, newly synthesized membrane proteins are delivered on specific pathways to either the apical or basolateral domains, depending on the sorting motifs present in these proteins. Because myosin VI has been shown to facilitate secretory traffic in nonpolarized cells, we investigated its role in biosynthetic trafficking pathways in polarized MDCK cells. We observed that a specific splice isoform of myosin VI with no insert in the tail domain is required for the polarized transport of tyrosine motif containing basolateral membrane proteins. Sorting of other basolateral or apical cargo, however, does not involve myosin VI. Site-directed mutagenesis indicates that a functional complex consisting of myosin VI, optineurin, and probably the GTPase Rab8 plays a role in the basolateral delivery of membrane proteins, whose sorting is mediated by the clathrin adaptor protein complex (AP) AP-1B. Our results suggest that myosin VI is a crucial component in the AP-1B-dependent biosynthetic sorting pathway to the basolateral surface in polarized epithelial cells.     

Clathrin hub expression affects early endosome distribution with minimal impact on receptor sorting and recycling

Clathrin-coated vesicles execute receptor-mediated endocytosis at the plasma membrane. However, a role for clathrin in later endocytic trafficking processes, such as receptor sorting and recycling or maintaining the organization of the endocytic pathway, has not been thoroughly characterized. The existence of clathrin-coated buds on endosomes suggests that clathrin might mediate later endocytic trafficking events. To investigate the function of clathrin-coated buds on endosomal membranes, endosome function and distribution were analyzed in a HeLa cell line that expresses the dominant-negative clathrin inhibitor Hub in an inducible manner. As expected, Hub expression reduced receptor-mediated endocytosis at the plasma membrane. Hub expression also induced a perinuclear aggregation of early endosome antigen 1-positive early endosomes, such that sorting and recycling endosomes were found tightly concentrated in the perinuclear region. Despite the dramatic redistribution of endosomes, Hub expression did not affect the overall kinetics of receptor sorting or recycling. These data show that clathrin function is necessary to maintain proper cellular distribution of early endosomes but does not play a prominent role in sorting and recycling events. Thus, clathrin's role on endosomal membranes is to influence organelle localization and is distinct from its role in trafficking pathways at the plasma membrane and trans-Golgi network.     

P4-ATPase requirement for AP-1/clathrin function in protein transport from the trans-Golgi network and early endosomes

Drs2p is a resident type 4 P-type ATPase (P4-ATPase) and potential phospholipid translocase of the trans-Golgi network (TGN) where it has been implicated in clathrin function. However, precise protein transport pathways requiring Drs2p and how it contributes to clathrin-coated vesicle budding remain unclear. Here we show a functional codependence between Drs2p and the AP-1 clathrin adaptor in protein sorting at the TGN and early endosomes of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Genetic criteria indicate that Drs2p and AP-1 operate in the same pathway and that AP-1 requires Drs2p for function. In addition, we show that loss of AP-1 markedly increases Drs2p trafficking to the plasma membrane, but does not perturb retrieval of Drs2p from the early endosome back to the TGN. Thus AP-1 is required at the TGN to sort Drs2p out of the exocytic pathway, presumably for delivery to the early endosome. Moreover, a conditional allele that inactivates Drs2p phospholipid translocase (flippase) activity disrupts its own transport in this AP-1 pathway. Drs2p physically interacts with AP-1; however, AP-1 and clathrin are both recruited normally to the TGN in drs2Delta cells. These results imply that Drs2p acts independently of coat recruitment to facilitate AP-1/clathrin-coated vesicle budding from the TGN.     

GCC185 plays independent roles in Golgi structure maintenance and AP-1-mediated vesicle tethering

GCC185 is a long coiled-coil protein localized to the trans-Golgi network (TGN) that functions in maintaining Golgi structure and tethering mannose 6-phosphate receptor (MPR)-containing transport vesicles en route to the Golgi. We report the identification of two distinct domains of GCC185 needed either for Golgi structure maintenance or transport vesicle tethering, demonstrating the independence of these two functions. The domain needed for vesicle tethering binds to the clathrin adaptor AP-1, and cells depleted of GCC185 accumulate MPRs in transport vesicles that are AP-1 decorated. This study supports a previously proposed role of AP-1 in retrograde transport of MPRs from late endosomes to the Golgi and indicates that docking may involve the interaction of vesicle-associated AP-1 protein with the TGN-associated tethering protein GCC185.     

Clathrin- and AP-2-binding sites in HIP1 uncover a general assembly role for endocytic accessory proteins

Clathrin-mediated endocytosis is a major pathway for the internalization of macromolecules into the cytoplasm of eukaryotic cells. The principle coat components, clathrin and the AP-2 adaptor complex, assemble a polyhedral lattice at plasma membrane bud sites with the aid of several endocytic accessory proteins. Here, we show that huntingtin-interacting protein 1 (HIP1), a binding partner of huntingtin, copurifies with brain clathrin-coated vesicles and associates directly with both AP-2 and clathrin. The discrete interaction sequences within HIP1 that facilitate binding are analogous to motifs present in other accessory proteins, including AP180, amphiphysin, and epsin. Bound to a phosphoinositide-containing membrane surface via an epsin N-terminal homology (ENTH) domain, HIP1 associates with AP-2 to provide coincident clathrin-binding sites that together efficiently recruit clathrin to the bilayer. Our data implicate HIP1 in endocytosis, and the similar modular architecture and function of HIP1, epsin, and AP180 suggest a common role in lipid-regulated clathrin lattice biogenesis.     

CVAK104 is a novel regulator of clathrin-mediated SNARE sorting

Clathrin-coated vesicles (CCVs) mediate transport between the plasma membrane, endosomes and the trans Golgi network. Using comparative proteomics, we have identified coated-vesicle-associated kinase of 104 kDa (CVAK104) as a candidate accessory protein for CCV-mediated trafficking. Here, we demonstrate that the protein colocalizes with clathrin and adaptor protein-1 (AP-1), and that it is associated with a transferrin-positive endosomal compartment. Consistent with these observations, clathrin as well as the cargo adaptors AP-1 and epsinR can be coimmunoprecipitated with CVAK104. Small interfering RNA (siRNA) knockdown of CVAK104 in HeLa cells results in selective loss of the SNARE proteins syntaxin 8 and vti1b from CCVs. Morpholino-mediated knockdown of CVAK104 in Xenopus tropicalis causes severe developmental defects, including a bent body axis and ventral oedema. Thus, CVAK104 is an evolutionarily conserved protein involved in SNARE sorting that is essential for normal embryonic development.     

The clathrin adaptor AP-1A mediates basolateral polarity

Clathrin and the epithelial-specific clathrin adaptor AP-1B mediate basolateral trafficking in epithelia. However, several epithelia lack AP-1B, and mice knocked out for AP-1B are viable, suggesting the existence of additional mechanisms that control basolateral polarity. Here, we demonstrate a distinct role of the ubiquitous clathrin adaptor AP-1A in basolateral protein sorting. Knockdown of AP-1A causes missorting of basolateral proteins in MDCK cells, but only after knockdown of AP-1B, suggesting that AP-1B can compensate for lack of AP-1A. AP-1A localizes predominantly to the TGN, and its knockdown promotes spillover of basolateral proteins into common recycling endosomes, the site of function of AP-1B, suggesting complementary roles of both adaptors in basolateral sorting. Yeast two-hybrid assays detect interactions between the basolateral signal of transferrin receptor and the medium subunits of both AP-1A and AP-1B. The basolateral sorting function of AP-1A reported here establishes AP-1 as a major regulator of epithelial polarity.     

Roles for the Drs2p-Cdc50p complex in protein transport and phosphatidylserine asymmetry of the yeast plasma membrane

Drs2p, a P-type adenosine triphosphatase required for a phosphatidylserine (PS) flippase activity in the yeast trans Golgi network (TGN), was first implicated in protein trafficking by a screen for mutations synthetically lethal with arf1 (swa). Here, we show that SWA4 is allelic to CDC50, encoding a membrane protein previously shown to chaperone Drs2p from the endoplasmic reticulum to the Golgi complex. We find that cdc50Delta exhibits the same clathrin-deficient phenotypes as drs2Delta, including delayed transport of carboxypeptidase Y to the vacuole, mislocalization of resident TGN enzymes and the accumulation of aberrant membrane structures. These trafficking defects precede appearance of cell polarity defects in cdc50Delta, suggesting that the latter are a secondary consequence of disrupting Golgi function. Involvement of Drs2p-Cdc50p in PS translocation suggests a role in restricting PS to the cytosolic leaflet of the Golgi and plasma membrane. Annexin V binding and papuamide B hypersensitivity indicate that drs2Delta or cdc50Delta causes a loss of plasma membrane PS asymmetry. However, clathrin and other endocytosis null mutants also exhibit a comparable loss of PS asymmetry, and studies with drs2-ts and clathrin (chc1-ts) conditional mutants suggest that loss of plasma membrane asymmetry is a secondary consequence of disrupting protein trafficking.     

SNARE protein trafficking in polarized MDCK cells

A key feature of polarized epithelial cells is the ability to maintain the specific biochemical composition of the apical and basolateral plasma membrane domains. This polarity is generated and maintained by the continuous sorting of apical and basolateral components in the secretory and endocytic pathways. Soluble N-ethyl maleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptors (SNARE) proteins of vesicle-associated membrane protein (VAMP) and syntaxin families have been suggested to play a role in the biosynthetic transport to the apical and basolateral plasma membranes of polarized cells, where they likely mediate membrane fusion. To investigate the involvement of SNARE proteins in membrane trafficking to the apical and basolateral plasma membrane in the endocytic pathway we have monitored the recycling of various VAMP and syntaxin molecules between intracellular compartments and the two plasma membrane domains in Madin–Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells. Here we show that VAMP8/endobrevin cycles through the apical but not through the basolateral plasma membrane. Furthermore, we found that VAMP8 localizes to apical endosomal membranes in nephric tubule epithelium and in MDCK cells. This asymmetry in localization and cycling behavior suggests that VAMP8/endobrevin may play a role in apical endosomal trafficking in polarized epithelium cells.     

MAL regulates clathrin-mediated endocytosis at the apical surface of Madin-Darby canine kidney cells

MAL is an integral protein component of the machinery for apical transport in epithelial Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells. To maintain its distribution, MAL cycles continuously between the plasma membrane and the Golgi complex. The clathrin-mediated route for apical internalization is known to differ from that at the basolateral surface. Herein, we report that MAL depends on the clathrin pathway for apical internalization. Apically internalized polymeric Ig receptor (pIgR), which uses clathrin for endocytosis, colocalized with internalized MAL in the same apical vesicles. Time-lapse confocal microscopic analysis revealed cotransport of pIgR and MAL in the same endocytic structures. Immunoelectron microscopic analysis evidenced colabeling of MAL with apically labeled pIgR in pits and clathrin-coated vesicles. Apical internalization of pIgR was abrogated in cells with reduced levels of MAL, whereas this did not occur either with its basolateral entry or the apical internalization of glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored proteins, which does not involve clathrin. Therefore, MAL is critical for efficient clathrin-mediated endocytosis at the apical surface in MDCK cells.