Actin polymerization controls the organization of WASH domains at the surface of endosomes

Sorting of cargoes in endosomes occurs through their selective enrichment into sorting platforms, where transport intermediates are generated. The WASH complex, which directly binds to lipids, activates the Arp2/3 complex and hence actin polymerization onto such sorting platforms. Here, we analyzed the role of actin polymerization in the physiology of endosomal domains containing WASH using quantitative image analysis. Actin depolymerization is known to enlarge endosomes. Using a novel colocalization method that is insensitive to the heterogeneity of size and shape of endosomes, we further show that preventing the generation of branched actin networks induces endosomal accumulation of the WASH complex. Moreover, we found that actin depolymerization induces a dramatic decrease in the recovery of endosomal WASH after photobleaching. This result suggests a built-in turnover, where the actin network, i.e. the product of the WASH complex, contributes to the dynamic exchange of the WASH complex by promoting its detachment from endosomes. Our experiments also provide evidence for a role of actin polymerization in the lateral compartmentalization of endosomes: several WASH domains exist at the surface of enlarged endosomes, however, the WASH domains coalesce upon actin depolymerization or Arp2/3 depletion. Branched actin networks are thus involved in the regulation of the size of WASH domains. The potential role of this regulation in membrane scission are discussed.     

The PtdIns3P‐Binding Protein Phafin 2 Mediates Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Degradation by Promoting Endosome Fusion

Phosphatidylinositol 3‐phosphate (PtdIns3P) orchestrates endosomal cargo transport, fusion and motility by recruiting FYVE or PX domain‐containing effector proteins to endosomal membranes. In an attempt to discover novel PtdIns3P effectors involved in the termination of growth factor receptor signalling, we performed an siRNA screen for epidermal growth factor (EGF) degradation, targeting FYVE and PX domain proteins in the human proteome. This screen identified several potential regulators of EGF degradation, including HRS (used as positive control), PX kinase, MTMR4 and Phafin2/PLEKHF2. As Phafin2 has not previously been shown to be required for EGF receptor (EGFR) degradation, we performed further functional studies on this protein. Loss of Phafin2 was found to decrease early endosome size, whereas overexpression of Phafin2 resulted in enlarged endosomes. Moreover, both the EGFR and the fluid‐phase marker dextran were retained in abnormally small endosomes in Phafin2‐depleted cells. In yeast two‐hybrid analysis we identified Phafin2 as a novel interactor of the endosomal‐tethering protein EEA1, and Phafin2 colocalized strongly with EEA1 in microdomains of the endosome membrane. Our results suggest that Phafin2 controls receptor trafficking and fluid‐phase transport through early endosomes by facilitating endosome fusion in concert with EEA1.     

SWIP mediates retromer-independent membrane recruitment of the WASH complex

The pentameric WASH complex facilitates endosomal protein sorting by activating Arp2/3, which in turn leads to the formation of F-actin patches specifically on the endosomal surface. It is generally accepted that WASH complex attaches to the endosomal membrane via the interaction of its subunit FAM21 with the retromer subunit VPS35. However, we observe the WASH complex and F-actin present on endosomes even in the absence of VPS35. We show that the WASH complex binds to the endosomal surface in both a retromer-dependent and a retromer-independent manner. The retromer-independent membrane anchor is directly mediated by the subunit SWIP. Furthermore, SWIP can interact with a number of phosphoinositide species. Of those, our data suggest that the interaction with phosphatidylinositol-3,5-bisphosphate (PI(3,5)P₂) is crucial to the endosomal binding of SWIP. Overall, this study reveals a new role of the WASH complex subunit SWIP and highlights the WASH complex as an independent, self-sufficient trafficking regulator.     

SNX4 coordinates endosomal sorting of TfnR with dynein-mediated transport into the endocytic recycling compartment

SNX-BAR proteins are a sub-family of sorting nexins implicated in endosomal sorting. Here, we establish that through its phox homology (PX) and Bin-Amphiphysin-Rvs (BAR) domains, sorting nexin-4 (SNX4) is associated with tubular and vesicular elements of a compartment that overlaps with peripheral early endosomes and the juxtanuclear endocytic recycling compartment (ERC). Suppression of SNX4 perturbs transport between these compartments and causes lysosomal degradation of the transferrin receptor (TfnR). Through an interaction with KIBRA, a protein previously shown to bind dynein light chain 1, we establish that SNX4 associates with the minus end-directed microtubule motor dynein. Although suppression of KIBRA and dynein perturbs early endosome-to-ERC transport, TfnR sorting is maintained. We propose that by driving membrane tubulation, SNX4 coordinates iterative, geometric-based sorting of the TfnR with the long-range transport of carriers from early endosomes to the ERC. Finally, these data suggest that by associating with molecular motors, SNX-BAR proteins may coordinate sorting with carrier transport between donor and recipient membranes.     

SPIN90 Knockdown Attenuates the Formation and Movement of Endosomal Vesicles in the Early Stages of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Endocytosis

The finding that SPIN90 colocalizes with epidermal growth factor (EGF) in EEA1-positive endosomes prompted us to investigate the role of SPIN90 in endocytosis of the EGF receptor (EGFR). In the present study, we demonstrated that SPIN90 participates in the early stages of endocytosis, including vesicle formation and trafficking. Stable HeLa cells with knockdown of SPIN90 displayed significantly higher levels of surface EGFR than control cells. Analysis of the abundance and cellular distribution of EGFR via electron microscopy revealed that SPIN90 knockdown cells contain residual EGFR at cell membranes and fewer EGFR-containing endosomes, both features that reflect reduced endosome formation. The delayed early endosomal targeting capacity of SPIN90 knockdown cells led to increased EGFR stability, consistent with the observed accumulation of EGFR at the membrane. Small endosome sizes and reduced endosome formation in SPIN90 knockdown cells, observed using fluorescent confocal microscopy, strongly supported the involvement of SPIN90 in endocytosis of EGFR. Overexpression of SPIN90 variants, particularly the SH3, PRD, and CC (positions 643 - 722) domains, resulted in aberrant morphology of Rab5-positive endosomes (detected as small spots located near the cell membrane) and defects in endosomal movement. These findings clearly suggest that SPIN90 participates in the formation and movement of endosomes. Consistent with this, SPIN90 knockdown enhanced cell proliferation. The delay in EGFR endocytosis effectively increased the levels of endosomal EGFR, which triggered activation of ERK1/2 and cell proliferation via upregulation of cyclin D1. Collectively, our findings suggest that SPIN90 contributes to the formation and movement of endosomal vesicles, and modulates the stability of EGFR protein, which affects cell cycle progression via regulation of the activities of downstream proteins, such as ERK1/2, after EGF stimulation.     

Vps34p differentially regulates endocytosis from the apical and basolateral domains in polarized hepatic cells

Using a microinjection approach to study apical plasma membrane protein trafficking in hepatic cells, we found that specific inhibition of Vps34p, a class III phosphoinositide 3 (PI-3) kinase, nearly perfectly recapitulated the defects we reported for wortmannin-treated cells (Tuma, P.L., C.M. Finnegan, J.-H Yi, and A.L. Hubbard. 1999. J. Cell Biol. 145:1089-1102). Both wortmannin and injection of inhibitory Vps34p antibodies led to the accumulation of resident apical proteins in enlarged prelysosomes, whereas transcytosing apical proteins and recycling basolateral receptors transiently accumulated in basolateral early endosomes. To understand how the Vps34p catalytic product, PI3P, was differentially regulating endocytosis from the two domains, we examined the PI3P binding protein early endosomal antigen 1 (EEA1). We determined that EEA1 distributed to two biochemically distinct endosomal populations: basolateral early endosomes and subapical endosomes. Both contained rab5, although the latter also contained late endosomal markers but was distinct from the transcytotic intermediate, the subapical compartment. When PI3P was depleted, EEA1 dissociated from basolateral endosomes, whereas it remained on subapical endosomes. From these results, we conclude that PI3P, via EEA1, regulates early steps in endocytosis from the basolateral surface in polarized WIF-B cells. However, PI3P must use different machinery in its regulation of the apical endocytic pathway, since later steps are affected by Vps34p inhibition.     

Endosomal WASH and exocyst complexes control exocytosis of MT1-MMP at invadopodia

Remodeling of the extracellular matrix by carcinoma cells during metastatic dissemination requires formation of actin-based protrusions of the plasma membrane called invadopodia, where the trans-membrane type 1 matrix metalloproteinase (MT1-MMP) accumulates. Here, we describe an interaction between the exocyst complex and the endosomal Arp2/3 activator Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein and Scar homolog (WASH) on MT1-MMP–containing late endosomes in invasive breast carcinoma cells. We found that WASH and exocyst are required for matrix degradation by an exocytic mechanism that involves tubular connections between MT1-MMP–positive late endosomes and the plasma membrane in contact with the matrix. This ensures focal delivery of MT1-MMP and supports pericellular matrix degradation and tumor cell invasion into different pathologically relevant matrix environments. Our data suggest a general mechanism used by tumor cells to breach the basement membrane and for invasive migration through fibrous collagen-enriched tissues surrounding the tumor.     

Re-localization of activated EGF receptor and its signal transducers to multivesicular compartments downstream of early endosomes in response to EGF

The rapid internalization of receptor tyrosine kinases after ligand binding has been assumed to be a negative modulation of signal transduction. However, accumulating data indicate that signal transduction from internalized cell surface receptors also occurs from endosomes. We show that a substantial fraction of tyrosine-phosphorylated epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and Shc, Grb2 and Cbl after internalization relocates from early endosomes to compartments which are negative for the early endosomes, recycling vesicle markers EEA1 and transferrin in EGF-stimulated cells. These compartments contained the multivesicular body and late endosome marker CD63, and the late endosome and lysosome marker LAMP-1, and showed a multivesicular morphology. Subcellular fractionation revealed that activated EGFR, adaptor proteins and activated ERK 1 and 2 were located in EEA1-negative and LAMP-1-positive fractions. Co-immunoprecipitations showed EGFR in complex with both Shc, Grb2 and Cbl. Treatment with the weak base chloroquine or inhibitors of lysosomal enzymes after EGF stimulation induced an accumulation of tyrosine-phosphorylated EGFR and Shc in EEA1-negative and CD63-positive vesicles after a 120-min chase period. This was accompanied by a sustained activation of ERK 1 and 2. These results suggest that EGFR signaling is not spatially restricted to the plasma membrane, primary vesicles and early endosomes, but is continuing from late endocytic trafficking organelles maturing from early endosomes.     

UBE4B Protein Couples Ubiquitination and Sorting Machineries to Enable Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) Degradation

The signaling of plasma membrane proteins is tuned by internalization and sorting in the endocytic pathway prior to recycling or degradation in lysosomes. Ubiquitin modification allows recognition and association of cargo with endosomally associated protein complexes, enabling sorting of proteins to be degraded from those to be recycled. The mechanism that provides coordination between the cellular machineries that mediate ubiquitination and endosomal sorting is unknown. We report that the ubiquitin ligase UBE4B is recruited to endosomes in response to epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) activation by binding to Hrs, a key component of endosomal sorting complex required for transport (ESCRT) 0. We identify the EGFR as a substrate for UBE4B, establish UBE4B as a regulator of EGFR degradation, and describe a mechanism by which UBE4B regulates endosomal sorting, affecting cellular levels of the EGFR and its downstream signaling. We propose a model in which the coordinated action of UBE4B, ESCRT-0, and the deubiquitinating enzyme USP8 enable the endosomal sorting and lysosomal degradation of the EGFR.     

Protein kinase Cdelta and calmodulin regulate epidermal growth factor receptor recycling from early endosomes through Arp2/3 complex and cortactin

The intracellular trafficking of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is regulated by a cross-talk between calmodulin (CaM) and protein kinase Cδ (PKCδ). On inhibition of CaM, PKCδ promotes the formation of enlarged early endosomes and blocks EGFR recycling and degradation. Here, we show that PKCδ impairs EGFR trafficking due to the formation of an F-actin coat surrounding early endosomes. The PKCδ-induced polymerization of actin is orchestrated by the Arp2/3 complex and requires the interaction of cortactin with PKCδ. Accordingly, inhibition of actin polymerization by using cytochalasin D or by overexpression of active cofilin, restored the normal morphology of the organelle and the recycling of EGFR. Similar results were obtained after down-regulation of cortactin and the sequestration of the Arp2/3 complex. Furthermore we demonstrate an interaction of cortactin with CaM and PKCδ, the latter being dependent on CaM inhibition. In summary, this study provides the first evidence that CaM and PKCδ organize actin dynamics in the early endosomal compartment, thereby regulating the intracellular trafficking of EGFR.     

Immunocytochemical localization of Shc and activated EGF receptor in early endosomes after EGF stimulation of HeLa cells.

After binding of epidermal growth factor (EGF), the EGF receptor (EGFR) becomes autophosphorylated via tyrosine. The ligand-activated receptor is internalized by endocytosis and subsequently degraded in the lysosomal pathway. To follow EGFR activation after EGF stimulation, we generated antisera to the EGFR phosphotyrosine sites pY992 and pY1173. The SH2 region of Shc binds to both these sites. Both antisera identified EGFR after EGF binding and did not crossreact with the unactivated receptor. The intracellular distribution of phosphorylated EGFR after ligand binding was traced by two-color immunofluorescence confocal microscopy and immunoelectron microscopy. Before EGF stimulation EGFR was primarily located along the cell surface. When internalization of activated EGFR was inhibited by incubation with EGF on ice, Y992- and Y1173-phosphorylated EGFR were located along the plasma membrane. Ten minutes after internalization at 37C, Y992- and Y1173-phosphorylated EGFR were almost exclusively located in early endosomes, as shown by co-localization with EEA1. Immunoelectron microscopy confirmed that phosphorylated EGFR was located in intracellular vesicles resembling early endosomes. After EGF stimulation, the adaptor protein Shc redistributed to EGFR-containing early endosomes. Our results indicate that EGFR activation of Shc via tyrosine-phosphorylated Y992 and Y1173 occurred in early endocytic compartments, and support a role for membrane trafficking in intracellular signaling.     

Neuron Specific Rab4 Effector GRASP-1 Coordinates Membrane Specialization and Maturation of Recycling Endosomes

The endosomal pathway in neuronal dendrites is essential for membrane receptor trafficking and proper synaptic function and plasticity. However, the molecular mechanisms that organize specific endocytic trafficking routes are poorly understood. Here, we identify GRIP-associated protein-1 (GRASP-1) as a neuron-specific effector of Rab4 and key component of the molecular machinery that coordinates recycling endosome maturation in dendrites. We show that GRASP-1 is necessary for AMPA receptor recycling, maintenance of spine morphology, and synaptic plasticity. At the molecular level, GRASP-1 segregates Rab4 from EEA1/Neep21/Rab5-positive early endosomal membranes and coordinates the coupling to Rab11-labelled recycling endosomes by interacting with the endosomal SNARE syntaxin 13. We propose that GRASP-1 connects early and late recycling endosomal compartments by forming a molecular bridge between Rab-specific membrane domains and the endosomal SNARE machinery. The data uncover a new mechanism to achieve specificity and directionality in neuronal membrane receptor trafficking.     

Gαs promotes EEA1 endosome maturation and shuts down proliferative signaling through interaction with GIV (Girdin)

The organization of the endocytic system into biochemically distinct subcompartments allows for spatial and temporal control of the strength and duration of signaling. Recent work has established that Akt cell survival signaling via the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) occurs from APPL early endosomes that mature into early EEA1 endosomes. Less is known about receptor signaling from EEA1 endosomes. We show here that EGF-induced, proliferative signaling occurs from EEA1 endosomes and is regulated by the heterotrimeric G protein Gαs through interaction with the signal transducing protein GIV (also known as Girdin). When Gαs or GIV is depleted, activated EGFR and its adaptors accumulate in EEA1 endosomes, and EGFR signaling is prolonged, EGFR down-regulation is delayed, and cell proliferation is greatly enhanced. Our findings define EEA1 endosomes as major sites for proliferative signaling and establish that Gαs and GIV regulate EEA1 but not APPL endosome maturation and determine the duration and strength of proliferative signaling from this compartment.     

The p97 ATPase associates with EEA1 to regulate the size of early endosomes

The AAA (ATPase-associated with various cellular activities) ATPase p97 acts on diverse substrate proteins to partake in various cellular processes such as membrane fusion and endoplasmic reticulum-associated degradation (ERAD). In membrane fusion, p97 is thought to function in analogy to the related ATPase NSF (N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive fusion protein), which promotes membrane fusion by disassembling a SNARE complex. In ERAD, p97 dislocates misfolded proteins from the ER membrane to facilitate their turnover by the proteasome. Here, we identify a novel function of p97 in endocytic trafficking by establishing the early endosomal autoantigen 1 (EEA1) as a new p97 substrate. We demonstrate that a fraction of p97 is localized to the early endosome membrane, where it binds EEA1 via the N-terminal C2H2 zinc finger domain. Inhibition of p97 either by siRNA or a pharmacological inhibitor results in clustering and enlargement of early endosomes, which is associated with an altered trafficking pattern for an endocytic cargo. Mechanistically, we show that p97 inhibition causes increased EEA1 self-association at the endosome membrane. We propose that p97 may regulate the size of early endosomes by governing the oligomeric state of EEA1.     

Role of Rab5 in the recruitment of hVps34/p150 to the early endosome

PI 3-kinases are important regulators of endocytic trafficking. We have previously proposed a model in which the Rab5 GTPase recruits EEA1 to the early endosome both directly, by binding to EEA1, and indirectly, through the recruitment of the p150/hVps34 PI 3-kinase and the production of PI[3]P in the endosomal membrane. In this study we have examined this model in vivo . We find that both endogenous hVps34 and p150 are targeted to enlarged endosomal structures in cells expressing constitutively activated Rab5, where they are significantly colocalized with EEA1. Recombinant fragments of p150 disrupt the endosomal localization of EEA1, showing that p150 is required for EEA1 targeting. We further analyzed the mechanism of GTP-dependent Rab5-p150 binding, and showed the p150 HEAT and WD40 domains are required for binding, whereas deletion of the protein kinase domain increases binding to Rab5. Overexpression of constitutively active Rab5 caused a redistribution of epitope-tagged hVps34 and p150 to Rab5-positive endosomes. However, subcellular fractionation showed that this was not due to a significant recruitment of hVps34 or p150 from the cytosolic to the particulate fraction. These data suggest that the binding of Rab5 to the HEAT/WD40 domains of p150 is important in regulating the localization of hVps34/p150. However, Rab5 does not appear to act by directly recruiting p150/hVps34 complexes from the cytosol to the endosomal membrane.     

Human NRAMP2/DMT1, which mediates iron transport across endosomal membranes, is localized to late endosomes and lysosomes in HEp-2 cells

NRAMP2 (natural resistance-associated macrophage protein 2)/DMT1 (divalent metal transporter 1) is a divalent metal transporter conserved from prokaryotes to higher eukaryotes that exhibits an unusually broad substrate range, including Fe(2+), Zn(2+), Mn(2+), Cu(2+), Cd(2+), Co(2+), Ni(2+), and Pb(2+), and mediates active proton-coupled transport. Recently, it has been shown that the microcytic anemia (mk) mouse and the Belgrade (b) rat, which have inherited defects in iron transport that result in iron deficiency anemia, have the same missense mutation (G185R) in Nramp2. These findings strongly suggested that NRAMP2 is the apical membrane iron transporter in intestinal epithelial cells and the endosomal iron transporter in transferrin cycle endosomes of other cells. To investigate the cellular functions of NRAMP2, we generated a polyclonal antibody against the N-terminal cytoplasmic domain of human NRAMP2. The affinity-purified anti-NRAMP2 N-terminal antibody recognized a 90-116-kDa membrane-associated protein, and this band was shifted to 50 kDa by deglycosylation with peptide N-glycosidase F. Subcellular fractionation revealed that NRAMP2 co-sedimented with the late endosomal and lysosomal membrane proteins and LAMP-1 (lysosome-associated membrane protein 1), but not with the transferrin receptor in early endosomes. The intracellular localization of endogenous NRAMP2 and recombinant green fluorescent protein (GFP)-NRAMP2 was examined by immunofluorescence staining and by native fluorescence of GFP, respectively. Both endogenous and GFP-NRAMP2 were detected in vesicular structures and were colocalized with LAMP-2, but not with EEA1 (early endosome antigen 1) or the transferrin receptor. These results indicated that NRAMP2 is localized to the late endosomes and lysosomes, where NRAMP2 may function to transfer the endosomal free Fe(2+) into the cytoplasm in the transferrin cycle.     

A role for EHD4 in the regulation of early endosomal transport

All four of the C-terminal Eps15 homology domain (EHD) proteins have been implicated in the regulation of endocytic trafficking. However, the high level of amino acid sequence identity among these proteins has made it challenging to elucidate the precise function of individual EHD proteins. We demonstrate here with specific peptide antibodies that endogenous EHD4 localizes to Rab5-, early embryonic antigen 1 (EEA1)- and Arf6-containing endosomes and colocalizes with internalized transferrin in the cell periphery. Knock-down of EHD4 expression by both small interfering RNA and short hairpin RNA leads to the generation of enlarged early endosomal structures that contain Rab5 and EEA1 as well as internalized transferrin or major histocompatibility complex class I molecules. In addition, cargo destined for degradation, such as internalized low-density lipoprotein, also accumulates in the enlarged early endosomes in EHD4-depleted cells. Moreover, we have demonstrated that these enlarged early endosomes are enriched in levels of the activated GTP-bound Rab5. Finally, we show that endogenous EHD4 and EHD1 interact in cells, suggesting coordinated involvement in the regulation of receptor transport along the early endosome to endocytic recycling compartment axis. The results presented herein provide evidence that EHD4 is involved in the control of trafficking at the early endosome and regulates exit of cargo toward both the recycling compartment and the late endocytic pathway.     

Regulation of epidermal growth factor receptor endocytosis by wortmannin through activation of Rab5 rather than inhibition of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase

The involvement of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) in membrane trafficking in mammalian cells has largely come from experiments with wortmannin. This compound inhibits endosome fusion in vitro, possibly by inhibiting the production of phosphatidylinositol (PtdIns)-3-P, which co-regulates EEA1 with Rab5. However, the results from wortmannin inhibition experiments performed in vivo differ significantly. We have recently shown that wortmannin enlarges endosomes containing the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and enhances the lysosomal degradation of EGFR. In this report, we demonstrate that addition of the PI3K reaction products does not suppress wortmannin-induced enlargement of EGFR-containing endosomes and enhancement of EGFR degradation. Moreover, the effects of wortmannin on the intracellular trafficking of EGFR mimic those of the permanently activated Rab5 mutant, Rab5 Q79L, which stimulates endosome fusion. We also found that an inactive Rab5 mutant, Rab5 S34N, blocks wortmannin-induced endosome enlargement and that wortmannin stimulates the activation of Rab5. We further showed that wortmannin reduced the membrane association of p120 Ras GTPase-activating protein (GAP) and inhibited the interaction between Rab5 and p120 Ras GAP. We conclude that wortmannin alters intracellular trafficking of EGFR by activating Rab5 rather than by inhibiting PI3K.     

EEA1, a tethering protein of the early sorting endosome, shows a polarized distribution in hippocampal neurons, epithelial cells, and fibroblasts

EEA1 is an early endosomal Rab5 effector protein that has been implicated in the docking of incoming endocytic vesicles before fusion with early endosomes. Because of the presence of complex endosomal pathways in polarized and nonpolarized cells, we have examined the distribution of EEA1 in diverse cell types. Ultrastructural analysis demonstrates that EEA1 is present on a subdomain of the early sorting endosome but not on clathrin-coated vesicles, consistent with a role in providing directionality to early endosomal fusion. Furthermore, EEA1 is associated with filamentous material that extends from the cytoplasmic surface of the endosomal domain, which is also consistent with a tethering/docking role for EEA1. In polarized cells (Madin-Darby canine kidney cells and hippocampal neurons), EEA1 is present on a subset of "basolateral-type" endosomal compartments, suggesting that EEA1 regulates specific endocytic pathways. In both epithelial cells and fibroblastic cells, EEA1 and a transfected apical endosomal marker, endotubin, label distinct endosomal populations. Hence, there are at least two distinct sets of early endosomes in polarized and nonpolarized mammalian cells. EEA1 could provide specificity and directionality to fusion events occurring in a subset of these endosomes in polarized and nonpolarized cells.     

α-Taxilin Interacts with Sorting Nexin 4 and Participates in the Recycling Pathway of Transferrin Receptor

Membrane traffic plays a crucial role in delivering proteins and lipids to their intracellular destinations. We previously identified α-taxilin as a binding partner of the syntaxin family, which is involved in intracellular vesicle traffic. α-Taxilin is overexpressed in tumor tissues and interacts with polymerized tubulin, but the precise function of α-taxilin remains unclear. Receptor proteins on the plasma membrane are internalized, delivered to early endosomes and then either sorted to the lysosome for degradation or recycled back to the plasma membrane. In this study, we found that knockdown of α-taxilin induced the lysosomal degradation of transferrin receptor (TfnR), a well-known receptor which is generally recycled back to the plasma membrane after internalization, and impeded the recycling of transferrin. α-Taxilin was immunoprecipitated with sorting nexin 4 (SNX4), which is involved in the recycling of TfnR. Furthermore, knockdown of α-taxilin decreased the number and length of SNX4-positive tubular structures. We report for the first time that α-taxilin interacts with SNX4 and plays a role in the recycling pathway of TfnR.