Role of the human transferrin receptor cytoplasmic domain in endocytosis: localization of a specific signal sequence for internalization

Wild-type and mutant human transferrin receptors have been expressed in chicken embryo fibroblasts using a helper-independent retroviral vector. The internalization of mutant human transferrin receptors, in which all but four of the 61 amino acids of the cytoplasmic domain had been deleted, was greatly impaired. However, when expressed at high levels, such "tailless" mutant receptors could provide chicken embryo fibroblasts with sufficient iron from diferric human transferrin to support a normal rate of growth. As the rate of recycling of the mutant receptors was not significantly different from wild-type receptors, an estimate of relative internalization rates could be obtained from the distribution of receptors inside the cell and on the cell surface under steady-state conditions. This analysis and the results of iron uptake studies both indicate that the efficiency of internalization of tailless mutant receptors is approximately 10% that of wild-type receptors. Further studies of a series of mutant receptors with different regions of the cytoplasmic domain deleted suggested that residues within a 10-amino acid region (amino acids 19-28) of the human transferrin receptor cytoplasmic domain are required for efficient endocytosis. Insertion of this region into the cytoplasmic domain of the tailless mutant receptors restored high efficiency endocytosis. The only tyrosine residue (Tyr 20) in the cytoplasmic domain of the human transferrin receptor is found within this 10-amino acid region. A mutant receptor containing glycine instead of tyrosine at position 20 was estimated to be approximately 20% as active as the wild-type receptor. We conclude that the cytoplasmic domain of the transferrin receptor contains a specific signal sequence located within amino acid residues 19-28 that determines high efficiency endocytosis. Further, Tyr 20 is an important element of that sequence.     

Mutational analysis of the cytoplasmic tail of the human transferrin receptor. Identification of a sub-domain that is required for rapid endocytosis

It has been reported that the sequence Tyr20-X-Arg-Phe23 present within the cytoplasmic tail of the transferrin receptor may represent a tyrosine internalization signal (Collawn, J.F., Stangel, M., Kuhn, L.A., Esekogwu, V., Jing, S., Trowbridge, I.S., and Tainer, J. A. (1990) Cell 63, 1061-1072). However, as Tyr20 is not conserved between species (Alvarez, E., Gironès, N., and Davis, R. J. (1990) Biochem. J. 267, 31-35), the functional role of the putative tyrosine internalization signal is not clear. To address this question, we constructed a series of 32 deletions and point mutations within the cytoplasmic tail of the human transferrin receptor. The effect of these mutations on the apparent first order rate constant for receptor endocytosis was examined. It was found that the region of the cytoplasmic tail that is proximal to the transmembrane domain (residues 28-58) is dispensable for rapid endocytosis. In contrast, the distal region of the cytoplasmic tail (residues 1-27) was found to be both necessary and sufficient for the rapid internalization of the transferrin receptor. The region identified includes Tyr20-X-Arg-Phe23, but is significantly larger than this tetrapeptide. It is therefore likely that structural information in addition to the proposed tyrosine internalization signal is required for endocytosis. To test this hypothesis, we investigated whether a heterologous tyrosine internalization signal (from the low density lipoprotein receptor) could function to cause the rapid endocytosis of the transferrin receptor. It was observed that this heterologous tyrosine internalization signal did not allow rapid endocytosis. We conclude that the putative tyrosine internalization signal (Tyr20-Thr-Arg-Phe23) is not sufficient to determine rapid endocytosis of the transferrin receptor. The data reported here indicate that the transferrin receptor internalization signal is formed by a larger cytoplasmic tail structure located at the amino terminus of the receptor.     

A role for the cytoplasmic domain in transferrin receptor sorting and coated pit formation during endocytosis

The cytoplasmic domain of transferrin receptor (TR) is essential for endocytosis of this transmembrane protein. We have investigated by electron microscopy the association of wild-type and cytoplasmic deletion mutant human TR with coated pits at the surface of transfected L cell lines. Approximately 15% of wild-type TR was concentrated in coated pits, regardless of the level of TR expression. In contrast, only 2% of deletion mutant TR was present in these structures. We also correlated the frequency of coated pits with the level of TR expression in different transfected L cell lines. Expression of more than 3 x 10(6) wild-type TR per cell was accompanied by up to a 4-fold increase in coated pits compared with nontransfected Ltk- cells. No such increase was observed in a cell line expressing a similarly high level of cytoplasmic deletion mutant TR. These results indicate that the cytoplasmic domain plays an active role in sorting and endocytosis of TR by providing an assembly site for coated pit formation.     

Human transferrin receptor internalization is partially dependent upon an aromatic amino acid on the cytoplasmic domain.

The objective of this work is to identify the elements of the human transferrin receptor that are involved in receptor internalization, intracellular sorting, and recycling. We have found that an aromatic side chain at position 20 on the cytoplasmic portion of the human transferrin receptor is required for efficient internalization. The wild-type human transferrin receptor has a tyrosine at this position. Replacement of the Tyr-20 with an aromatic amino acid does not alter the rate constant of internalization, whereas substitution with the nonaromatic amino acids serine, leucine, or cysteine reduces the internalization rate constant approximately three-fold. These results are consistent with similar studies of other receptor systems that have also documented the requirement for a tyrosine in rapid internalization. The amino terminus of the transferrin receptor is cytoplasmic, with the tyrosine 41 amino acids from the membrane. These two features distinguish the transferrin receptor from the other membrane proteins for which the role of tyrosine in internalization has been examined, because these proteins have the opposite polarity with respect to the membrane and because the tyrosines are located closer to the membrane (within 25 amino acids). The externalization rate for the recycling of the transferrin receptor is not altered by any of these substitutions, demonstrating that the aromatic amino acid internalization signal is not required for the efficient exocytosis of internalized receptor.     

Structural requirements for high efficiency endocytosis of the human transferrin receptor.

Wild-type and mutant human transferrin receptors (TR) have been expressed in chicken embryo fibroblasts using a helper-independent retroviral vector. By functional studies of the mutant TRs, we have identified the tetrapeptide sequence, YXRF, in the cytoplasmic tail of the receptor as the internalization signal required for high efficiency endocytosis and shown that transplanted internalization signals from the low density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) and the cation-independent mannose-6-phosphate receptor (Man-6-PR) are able to promote rapid internalization of the human TR. A six-residue LDLR signal, FDNPVY, is required for activity in TR, whereas a four-residue Man-6-PR signal, YSKV, is sufficient. These data indicate that internalization signals are interchangeable self-determined structural motifs and that signals from type I membrane proteins are active in a type II receptor. Putative internalization signals in the cytoplasmic tails of other receptors and membrane proteins can be identified based on the sequence patterns of the LDLR, Man-6-PR, and TR signals. Two such putative four-residue internalization signals, one from the poly-Ig receptor and one from the asialoglycoprotein receptor, were tested for activity by transplantation into TR and were found to promote high efficiency internalization. These results suggest that an exposed tight turn is the conformational motif for high efficiency endocytosis.     

Casein kinase II activity is required for transferrin receptor endocytosis.

The effect of protein kinase inhibitors on transferrin receptor (TR) internalization was examined in HeLa, A431, 3T3-L1 cells, and primary chicken embryo fibroblasts. We show that TR endocytosis is not affected by tyrosine kinase or protein kinase C inhibitors, but is inhibited by one serine/threonine kinase inhibitor, H-89. Inhibition occurred within 15 min, was completely reversible after H-89 withdrawal, and was specific for endocytosis rather than pinocytosis since a TR mutant lacking an internalization signal was not affected. Interestingly, H-89 also inhibited the internalization of a TR chimera containing the major histocompatibility complex class II invariant chain cytoplasmic tail, indicating that the effect was not specific for the TR. Since H-89 inhibits a number of kinases, we employed a permeabilized cell endocytosis assay to further characterize the kinase. In permeabilized 3T3-L1 cells, addition of pseudosubstrate inhibitor peptides of casein kinase II (CKII) blocked TR internalization by more than 50%, whereas pseudosubstrates of cyclic AMP-dependent kinase A, protein kinase C, and casein kinase I had no effect. Furthermore, addition of purified CKII to the cell-free reactions containing CKII pseudosubstrates reversed the endocytosis block, suggesting that CKII or a CKII-like activity is required for constitutive endocytosis.     

Localization of the signal for rapid internalization of the bovine cation-independent mannose 6-phosphate/insulin-like growth factor-II receptor to amino acids 24-29 of the cytoplasmic tail.

The signal for the rapid internalization of the cation-independent mannose 6-phosphate/insulin-like growth factor-II receptor has been previously localized to the inner half of the 163-amino acid cytoplasmic tail, including tyrosine 24 and tyrosine 26 (Lobel, P., Fujimoto, K., Ye, R. D., Griffiths, G., and Kornfeld, S. (1989) Cell 57, 787-796). To define this signal more precisely, we generated a series of truncation and substitution mutants and analyzed them for their ability to mediate the endocytosis of extracellular lysosomal enzymes. Mutant receptors containing cytoplasmic domains of 29 or more amino acids functioned normally in endocytosis whereas a mutant receptor with a 28-amino acid cytoplasmic domain was internalized extremely slowly. Alanine scanning of the region between amino acids 19 and 30 identified tyrosine 26 and valine 29 as the most important residues for rapid receptor internalization. Tyrosine 24 and lysine 28 also contributed to the signal while the other amino acids were not critical. The tyrosine residues could be substituted with phenylalanines with no loss of activity, indicating the requirement for an aromatic residue in these positions rather than tyrosine specifically. Conservative substitutions of arginine or histidine for lysine 28 also preserved the internalization signal. These results indicate that the sequence Tyr-Lys-Tyr-Ser-Lys-Val serves as the internalization signal for the mannose 6-phosphate/insulin-like growth factor-II receptor. The crucial elements of this sequence are present in the cytoplasmic tails of a number of other membrane receptors and proteins known to undergo rapid internalization.     

Mutagenesis of the human transferrin receptor: two cytoplasmic phenylalanines are required for efficient internalization and a second- site mutation is capable of reverting an internalization-defective phenotype

Site-specific mutagenesis has been used to define the sequences required for efficient internalization of the human transferrin receptor. It has previously been shown that the sole cytoplasmic tyrosine, at position 20, is required for efficient internalization. When two other cytoplasmic aromatic residues, the phenylalanines at positions 13 and 23, are substituted with alanines internalization is also reduced. The phenylalanine 23 mutation decreases the internalization rate constant approximately threefold, and mutation of phenylalanine 13 decreases it by approximately twofold. The mutation at position 23 has as serious an effect on internalization as substitution with a nonaromatic amino acid for the single tyrosine. These results demonstrate the importance of several aromatic amino acids in maintaining efficient internalization of the transferrin receptor. Substitution of a tyrosine at a second site, for a serine at position 34, within the cytoplasmic domain of a transferrin receptor with a nonaromatic amino acid at position 20, results in a complete reversion of the internalization-defective phenotype. This reversion is completely dependent upon a tyrosine, as phenylalanine substituted at position 34 does not revert the internalization-defective phenotype. This result demonstrates that a tyrosine placed outside of its native context can still function in the internalization of the transferrin receptor, suggesting a flexibility in surrounding sequences required for efficient internalization.     

A point mutation in the cytoplasmic domain of the transferrin receptor inhibits endocytosis.

The rate of receptor-mediated endocytosis of diferric 125I-transferrin by Chinese-hamster ovary cells expressing human transferrin receptors was compared with the rate measured for cells expressing hamster transferrin receptors. It was observed that the rate of endocytosis of the human transferrin receptor was significantly higher than that for the hamster receptor. In order to examine the molecular basis for the difference between the observed rates of endocytosis, a cDNA clone corresponding to the cytoplasmic domain of the hamster receptor was isolated. The predicted primary sequence of the cytoplasmic domain of the hamster transferrin receptor is identical with that of the human receptor, except at position 20, where a tyrosine residue in the human sequence is replaced with a cysteine residue. To test the hypothesis that this structural change in the receptor is related to the difference in the rate of internalization, we used site-directed mutagenesis to examine the effect of the replacement of tyrosine-20 with a cysteine residue in the human transferrin receptor. It was observed that the substitution of tyrosine-20 with cysteine caused a 60% inhibition of the rate of iron accumulation by cells incubated with [59Fe]diferric transferrin. No significant difference between the rate of internalization of the mutant (cysteine-20) human receptor and the hamster receptor was observed. Thus the substitution of tyrosine-20 with a cysteine residue can account for the difference between the rate of endocytosis of the human and hamster transferrin receptors.     

The internalization signal and the phosphorylation site of transferrin receptor are distinct from the main basolateral sorting information.

Wild-type human transferrin receptor (hTfR), like endogenous canine receptor, is expressed almost exclusively (97%) at the basolateral membrane of transfected Madin-Darbey canine kidney (MDCK) cells. We investigated the role of two distinct features of the hTfR cytoplasmic domain, namely the endocytic signal and the unique phosphorylation site, in polarized cell surface delivery. Basolateral location was not altered by point mutation of Ser24-->Ala24, indicating that phosphorylation is not involved in vectorial sorting of hTfR. The steady state distribution of hTfR was partially affected by a deletion of 36 cytoplasmic residues encompassing the internalization sequence. However, 80% of the receptors were still basolateral. As assessed by pulse-chase experiments in combination with biotinylation, newly synthesized wild-type and deletion mutant receptors were directly sorted to the domain of their steady state residency. Although both receptors could bind human transferrin, endocytosis of the deletion mutant was strongly impaired at either surface. These data indicate that the predominant basolateral targeting signal of hTfR is independent of the internalization sequence.     

Down-regulation of cell surface receptors is modulated by polar residues within the transmembrane domain

How recycling receptors are segregated from down-regulated receptors in the endosome is unknown. In previous studies, we demonstrated that substitutions in the transferrin receptor (TR) transmembrane domain (TM) convert the protein from an efficiently recycling receptor to one that is rapidly down regulated. In this study, we demonstrate that the "signal" within the TM necessary and sufficient for down-regulation is Thr(11)Gln(17)Thr(19) (numbering in TM). Transplantation of these polar residues into the wild-type TR promotes receptor down-regulation that can be demonstrated by changes in protein half-life and in receptor recycling. Surprisingly, this modification dramatically increases the TR internalization rate as well ( approximately 79% increase). Sucrose gradient centrifugation and cross-linking studies reveal that propensity of the receptors to self-associate correlates with down-regulation. Interestingly, a number of cell surface proteins that contain TM polar residues are known to be efficiently down-regulated, whereas recycling receptors for low-density lipoprotein and transferrin conspicuously lack these residues. Our data, therefore, suggest a simple model in which specific residues within the TM sequences dramatically influence the fate of membrane proteins after endocytosis, providing an alternative signal for down-regulation of receptor complexes to the well-characterized cytoplasmic tail targeting signals.     

Transferrin receptor internalization sequence YXRF implicates a tight turn as the structural recognition motif for endocytosis

Using detailed functional studies on 24 human transferrin receptor mutants, we identified YXRF as the internalization sequence. Provided that at least 7 residues separate this tetrapeptide from the transmembrane region, changing the tetrapeptide position within the TR cytoplasmic domain does not reduce internalization activity. Thus, any conformational determinant for internalization must be localized to the YXRF sequence. Twenty-eight tetrapeptide analogs of YXRF, found by an unbiased search of all known three-dimensional protein structures, significantly favored tight turns similar to a type I turn. Of the ten tetrapeptides most closely related to YXRF, eight were surface exposed and had tight-turn conformations, as were four of five tetrapeptides with sequences related to the low density lipoprotein receptor internalization motif, NPXY. The internalization sequences of both receptors contain aromatic residues with intervening hydrogen-bonding residues. Thus, two distinct internalization sequences favor a common structural chemistry and implicate an exposed tight turn as the recognition motif for high efficiency endocytosis.     

The LOX-1 scavenger receptor cytoplasmic domain contains a transplantable endocytic motif

Oxidized low-density lipoprotein particles is a pro-atherogenic factor implicated in atherosclerotic plaque formation. The LOX-1 scavenger receptor binds OxLDL and is linked to atherosclerotic plaque initiation and progression. We tested the hypothesis that the LOX-1 cytoplasmic domain contains a transplantable signal for membrane protein endocytosis. Structural modeling of the LOX-1 cytoplasmic domain reveals that a tripeptide motif (DDL) implicated in LOX-1 endocytosis is part of a curved β-pleated sheet structure. The two aspartic acid residues within this structural model are highly solvent-accessible enabling recognition by cytosolic factor(s). A triple alanine substitution of the DDL motif within the LOX-1 scavenger receptor substantially reduced endocytosis of OxLDL. Transplantation of the LOX-1 cytoplasmic domain into a transferrin receptor reporter molecule conferred efficient endocytosis on this hybrid protein. Mutation of the DDL motif within the hybrid LOX-1-TfR protein also substantially reduced receptor-mediated endocytosis. Thus a transplantable endocytic motif within the LOX-1 cytoplasmic domain is needed to ensure efficient internalization of pro-atherogenic OxLDL particles.     

p120-Catenin regulates clathrin-dependent endocytosis of VE-cadherin

VE-cadherin is an adhesion molecule critical to vascular barrier function and angiogenesis. VE-cadherin expression levels are regulated by p120 catenin, which prevents lysosomal degradation of cadherins by unknown mechanisms. To test whether the VE-cadherin cytoplasmic domain mediates endocytosis, and to elucidate the nature of the endocytic machinery involved, the VE-cadherin tail was fused to the interleukin (IL)-2 receptor (IL-2R) extracellular domain. Internalization assays demonstrated that the VE-cadherin tail dramatically increased endocytosis of the IL-2R in a clathrin-dependent manner. Interestingly, p120 inhibited VE-cadherin endocytosis via a mechanism that required direct interactions between p120 and the VE-cadherin cytoplasmic tail. However, p120 did not inhibit transferrin internalization, demonstrating that p120 selectively regulates cadherin internalization rather than globally inhibiting clathrin-dependent endocytosis. Finally, cell surface labeling experiments in cells expressing green fluorescent protein-tagged p120 indicated that the VE-cadherin-p120 complex dissociates upon internalization. These results support a model in which the VE-cadherin tail mediates interactions with clathrin-dependent endocytic machinery, and this endocytic processing is inhibited by p120 binding to the cadherin tail. These findings suggest a novel mechanism by which a cytoplasmic binding partner for a transmembrane receptor can serve as a selective plasma membrane retention signal, thereby modulating the availability of the protein for endo-lysosomal processing.     

Mutagenesis identifies new signals for beta-amyloid precursor protein endocytosis, turnover, and the generation of secreted fragments, including Abeta42.

It has long been assumed that the C-terminal motif, NPXY, is the internalization signal for beta-amyloid precursor protein (APP) and that the NPXY tyrosine (Tyr743 by APP751 numbering, Tyr682 in APP695) is required for APP endocytosis. To evaluate this tenet and to identify the specific amino acids subserving APP endocytosis, we mutated all tyrosines in the APP cytoplasmic domain and amino acids within the sequence GYENPTY (amino acids 737-743). Stable cell lines expressing these mutations were assessed for APP endocytosis, secretion, and turnover. Normal APP endocytosis was observed for cells expressing Y709A, G737A, and Y743A mutations. However, Y738A, N740A, and P741A or the double mutation of Y738A/P741A significantly impaired APP internalization to a level similar to that observed for cells lacking nearly the entire APP cytoplasmic domain (DeltaC), arguing that the dominant signal for APP endocytosis is the tetrapeptide YENP. Although not an APP internalization signal, Tyr743 regulates rapid APP turnover because half-life increased by 50% with the Y743A mutation alone. Secretion of the APP-derived proteolytic fragment, Abeta, was tightly correlated with APP internalization, such that Abeta secretion was unchanged for cells having normal APP endocytosis but significantly decreased for endocytosis-deficient cell lines. Remarkably, secretion of the Abeta42 isoform was also reduced in parallel with endocytosis from internalization-deficient cell lines, suggesting an important role for APP endocytosis in the secretion of this highly pathogenic Abeta species.     

Phosphorylation of the surface transferrin receptor stimulates receptor internalization in HL60 leukemic cells

The transferrin receptor is a target protein for phosphorylation by activated intracellular protein kinase C (May, W. S., Sahyoun, N., Jacobs, S., Wolf, M., and Cuatrecasas, P. (1985) J. Biol. Chem. 260, 9419-9426). Recently we reported that the potent tumor-promoting agent phorbol diester or a synthetic diacylglycerol could mediate rapid down-regulation of the surface transferrin receptor in association with receptor phosphorylation in HL60 leukemic cells and suggested that this phosphorylation may provide a signal for receptor internalization. In this communication we have tested experimentally the predictions generated by the hypothesis that receptor phosphorylation may play such a role in the intracellular cycling of the transferrin receptor. Results indicate that phorbol diester-stimulated phosphorylation occurs stoichiometrically only on the surface-oriented receptor and precedes internalization. Using a specific inhibitor of protein kinase C, it was found that both phorbol diester-mediated receptor phosphorylation and down-regulation could be antagonized. While the mechanism of internalization of the phosphorylated receptor is not clear, phorbol diester treatment significantly increases the rate constant for endocytosis from 0.183 to 0.462 min-1, while inhibiting only slightly the rate constant for exocytosis of the internalized receptor from 0.113 to 0.079 min-1. Thus, we conclude that phorbol diester treatment affects intracellular cycling of receptors and establishes a new steady state distribution of surface and intracellular receptors. These data support a role for receptor phosphorylation as a trigger for internalization primarily by stimulating the process of transferrin receptor endocytosis while affecting the subsequent exocytosis of the receptor cycling only slightly.     

Analysis of the signals for polarized transport of influenza virus (A/WSN/33) neuraminidase and human transferrin receptor, type II transmembrane proteins.

In polarized MDCK cells influenza virus (A/WSN/33) neuraminidase (NA) and human transferrin receptor (TR), type II glycoproteins, when expressed from cloned cDNAs, were transported and accumulated preferentially on the apical and basolateral surfaces, respectively. We have investigated the signals for polarized sorting by constructing chimeras between NA and TR and by making deletion mutants. NATR delta 90, which contains the cytoplasmic tail and transmembrane domain of NA and the ectodomain of TR, was found to be localized predominantly on the apical membrane, whereas TRNA delta 35, containing the cytoplasmic and transmembrane domains of TR and the ectodomain of NA, was expressed preferentially on the basolateral membrane. TR delta 57, a TR deletion mutant lacking 57 amino acids in the TR cytoplasmic tail, did not exhibit any polarized expression and was present on both apical and basolateral surfaces, whereas a deletion mutant (NA delta 28-35) lacking amino acid residues from 28 to 35 in the transmembrane domain of NA resulted in secretion of the NA ectodomain predominantly from the apical side. These results taken together indicate that the cytoplasmic tail of TR was sufficient for basolateral transport, but influenza virus NA possesses two sorting signals, one in the cytoplasmic or transmembrane domain and the other within the ectodomain, both of which are independently able to transport the protein to the apical plasma membrane.     

Monoclonal antibodies against defined epitopes of the human transferrin receptor cytoplasmic tail.

Three murine monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against the 61-residue amino-terminal cytoplasmic tail of the human transferrin receptor (TR) have been produced by immunization of mice with recombinant human TR produced in a baculovirus expression system. Mutant human TRs expressed in chick embryo fibroblasts (CEFs) with point mutations or deletions in their cytoplasmic tails have been used to map the epitopes defined by each of the mAbs. One mAb, H68.4, previously shown to block receptor internalization, binds proximal to the carboxy-terminal side of the YTRF internalization signal of TR. The second mAb, H73.2, binds near to the carboxy-terminal side of the H68.4 epitope, whereas the third mAb, 160.1, binds closer to the transmembrane region. H68.4 and H73.2 are auto-antibodies consistent with their epitopes mapping to a region of the human TR that has an identical amino acid sequence to the mouse TR. All three mAbs crossreact with the cytoplasmic tail of Chinese hamster TR. Double labelling of recombinant human TRs on chick embryo fibroblast (CEF) cell membrane preparations with B3/35 and H68.4 antibody-gold conjugates established that receptors in clathrin-coated pits were not labeled with H68.4, implying that associated coated pit proteins may block binding of this mAb.     

Endocytosis of the class I major histocompatibility antigen via a phorbol myristate acetate-inducible pathway is a cell-specific phenomenon and requires the cytoplasmic domain

Class I major histocompatibility (MHC) antigens are expressed by virtually all mammalian cells, yet their levels of expression and behavior on the cell surface vary in a cell-specific fashion. A panel of lymphoid (both B and T) and nonlymphoid cell lines was used to study the kinetics of internalization of the H-2Ld class I MHC in different cell types. These studies revealed that endocytosis of H-2Ld occurs by both constitutive and PMA-regulated pathways in lymphoid cells, but only by a PMA-refractory pathway in the nonlymphoid cells tested. Transfectant derivatives of the T lymphoma, EL4, which express wild-type or mutant H-2Ld class I MHC antigens, were used to investigate the requirement for the cytoplasmic domain of the class I MHC antigen for its endocytosis in T lymphocytes. These studies showed that modification or deletion of the cytoplasmic domain of H-2Ld abrogates endocytosis via a PMA-regulated pathway. The role of cytoplasmic domain phosphorylation in PMA-inducible endocytosis was examined. The wild-type H-2Ld antigen is phosphorylated in all cell types examined, and this phosphorylation is up-regulated by PMA treatment. In contrast, cytoplasmic domain mutants of H-2Ld fail to be phosphorylated in vivo, in the presence or absence of PMA. The universality of PMA-inducible hyperphosphorylation of the class I MHC antigen among diverse cell types leads us to conclude that phosphorylation of the cytoplasmic domain, while perhaps necessary, is not sufficient for triggering endocytosis via a PMA-inducible pathway. Furthermore, the results with the cytoplasmic domain mutants of H-2Ld suggest that a structural conformation of the class I MHC cytoplasmic domain is required for endocytosis via this route.     

Transplanted LDL and mannose-6-phosphate receptor internalization signals promote high-efficiency endocytosis of the transferrin receptor.

The internalization signals of several constitutively recycling receptors have recently been identified as regions of four or six amino acids that include an aromatic residue, usually tyrosine. Here, we show that transplanted signals from the low density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) and cation-independent mannose-6-phosphate receptor (Man-6-PR) promote rapid internalization of the transferrin receptor (TR), directly establishing that recognition signals are interchangeable, self-determined structural motifs and that signals from type I membrane proteins are active in a type II receptor. We also show that the chemical and spatial patterns of critical residues in both four- and six-residue internalization motifs are consistent with a tight turn structure. A six-residue LDLR signal is needed for activity in TR, suggesting that an amino-terminal aromatic side chain is obligatory. In contrast, the carboxy-terminal aromatic side chain in the TR signal can be replaced by a large hydrophobic residue. Thus, internalization signals apparently require an aromatic amino-terminal residue and either an aromatic or large hydrophobic carboxy-terminal residue rather than a conserved tyrosine per se. Consistent with this conclusion, predicted internalization signals from the poly-Ig receptor, YSAF, and asialoglycoprotein receptor (ASGPR) subunit H1, YQDL, also promote internalization of TR.