The beta domain is required for Vps4p oligomerization into a functionally active ATPase

Endocytic and biosynthetic trafficking pathways to the lysosome/vacuole converge at the prevacuolar endosomal compartment. During transport through this compartment, integral membrane proteins that are destined for delivery to the lysosome/vacuole lumen undergo multivesicular body (MVB) sorting into internal vesicles formed by invagination of the endosomal limiting membrane. Vps4 is an AAA family ATPase which plays a key role in MVB sorting and facilitates transport through endosomes. It possesses an N-terminal microtubule interacting and trafficking domain required for recruitment to endosomes and an AAA domain with an ATPase catalytic site. The recently solved 3D structure revealed a beta domain, which protrudes from the AAA domain, and a final C-terminal alpha-helix. However, the in vivo roles of these domains are not known. In this study, we have identified motifs in these domains that are highly conserved between yeast and human Vps4. We have mutated these motifs and studied the effect on yeast Vps4p function in vivo and in vitro. We show that the beta domain of the budding yeast Vps4p is not required for recruitment to endosomes, but is essential for all Vps4p endocytic functions in vivo. We also show that the beta domain is required for Vps4p homotypic interaction and for full ATPase activity. In addition, it is required for interaction with Vta1p, which works in concert with Vps4p in vivo. Our studies suggest that assembly of a Vps4p oligomeric complex with full ATPase activity that interacts with Vta1p is essential for normal endosome function.     

The Vps4 C-terminal helix is a critical determinant for assembly and ATPase activity and has elements conserved in other members of the meiotic clade of AAA ATPases

Sorting of membrane proteins into intralumenal endosomal vesicles, multivesicular body (MVB) sorting, is critical for receptor down regulation, antigen presentation and enveloped virus budding. Vps4 is an AAA ATPase that functions in MVB sorting. Although AAA ATPases are oligomeric, mechanisms that govern Vps4 oligomerization and activity remain elusive. Vps4 has an N-terminal microtubule interacting and trafficking domain required for endosome recruitment, an AAA domain containing the ATPase catalytic site and a beta domain, and a C-terminal alpha helix positioned close to the catalytic site in the 3D structure. Previous attempts to identify the role of the C-terminal helix have been unsuccessful. Here, we show that the C-terminal helix is important for Vps4 assembly and ATPase activity in vitro and function in vivo, but not endosome recruitment or interactions with Vta1 or ESCRT-III. Unlike the beta domain, which is also important for Vps4 assembly, the C-terminal helix is not required in vivo for Vps4 homotypic interaction or dominant-negative effects of Vps4-E233Q, carrying a mutation in the ATP hydrolysis site. Vta1 promotes assembly of hybrid complexes comprising Vps4-E233Q and Vps4 lacking an intact C-terminal helix in vitro. Formation of catalytically active hybrid complexes demonstrates an intersubunit catalytic mechanism for Vps4. One end of the C-terminal helix lies in close proximity to the second region of homology (SRH), which is important for assembly and intersubunit catalysis in AAA ATPases. We propose that Vps4 SRH function requires an intact C-terminal helix. Co-evolution of a distinct Vps4 SRH and C-terminal helix in meiotic clade AAA ATPases supports this possibility.     

Did2 coordinates Vps4-mediated dissociation of ESCRT-III from endosomes

The sorting of transmembrane cargo proteins into the lumenal vesicles of multivesicular bodies (MVBs) depends on the recruitment of endosomal sorting complexes required for transport (ESCRTs) to the cytosolic face of endosomal membranes. The subsequent dissociation of ESCRT complexes from endosomes requires Vps4, a member of the AAA family of adenosine triphosphatases. We show that Did2 directs Vps4 activity to the dissociation of ESCRT-III but has no role in the dissociation of ESCRT-I or -II. Surprisingly, vesicle budding into the endosome lumen occurs in the absence of Did2 function even though Did2 is required for the efficient sorting of MVB cargo proteins into lumenal vesicles. This uncoupling of MVB cargo sorting and lumenal vesicle formation suggests that the Vps4-mediated dissociation of ESCRT-III is an essential step in the sorting of cargo proteins into MVB vesicles but is not a prerequisite for the budding of vesicles into the endosome lumen.     

Regulators of Vps4 ATPase Activity at Endosomes Differentially Influence the Size and Rate of Formation of Intralumenal Vesicles

Recruitment of endosomal sorting complexes required for transport (ESCRTs) to the cytosolic face of endosomes regulates selective inclusion of transmembrane proteins into the lumenal vesicles of multivesicular bodies (MVBs). ESCRT-0, -I, and -II bind directly to ubiquitinated transmembrane cargoes of the MVB pathway, whereas polymerization of ESCRT-III at endosomes is thought to bend the membrane and/or provide the energetic force that drives membrane scission and detachment of vesicles into the endosome lumen. Disassembly of the ESCRT-III polymer and dissociation of its subunits from endosomes requires the Vps4 ATPase, the activity of which is controlled in vivo by regulatory proteins. We identify distinct spatiotemporal roles for Vps4-regulating proteins through examinations of subcellular localization and endosome morphology. Did2 plays a unique role in the regulation of MVB lumenal vesicle size, whereas Vtal and Vps60 promote efficient membrane scission and delivery of membrane to the endosome lumen. These morphological effects probably result from Vps4-mediated manipulations of ESCRT-III, because we show dissociation of ESCRT-0, -I, and -II from endosomes is not directly dependent on Vps4 activity.     

MIT domainia

The AAA ATPase Vps4 disassembles the membrane-bound ESCRT-III lattice. Four recent publications show how Vps4 carries out this task in a partnership with another ESCRT-associated protein, Vta1. Vps4 and Vta1 both contain MIT domains, which bind to "MIT-interacting motifs" (MIMs) of ESCRT-III proteins. As new MIT domain proteins are rapidly being identified, these studies will likely have relevance well beyond Vps4.     

Ist1 regulates Vps4 localization and assembly

The ESCRT protein complexes are recruited from the cytoplasm and assemble on the endosomal membrane into a protein network that functions in sorting of ubiquitinated transmembrane proteins into the multivesicular body (MVB) pathway. This transport pathway packages cargo proteins into vesicles that bud from the MVB limiting membrane into the lumen of the compartment and delivers these vesicles to the lysosome/vacuole for degradation. The dissociation of ESCRT machinery by the AAA-type ATPase Vps4 is a necessary late step in the formation of MVB vesicles. This ATP-consuming step is regulated by several Vps4-interacting proteins, including the newly identified regulator Ist1. Our data suggest that Ist1 has a dual role in the regulation of Vps4 activity: it localizes to the ESCRT machinery via Did2 where it positively regulates recruitment of Vps4 and it negatively regulates Vps4 by forming an Ist1-Vps4 heterodimer, in which Vps4 cannot bind to the ESCRT machinery. The activity of the MVB pathway might be in part determined by outcome of these two competing activities.     

ESCRT-III family members stimulate Vps4 ATPase activity directly or via Vta1

The AAA-ATPase Vps4 is critical for function of the MVB sorting pathway, which in turn impacts cellular phenomena ranging from receptor downregulation to viral budding to cytokinesis. Vps4 dissociates ESCRTs from endosomal membranes during MVB sorting, but it is unclear how Vps4 ATPase activity is synchronized with ESCRT release. Vta1 potentiates Vps4 activity and interacts with ESCRT-III family members. We have investigated the impact of Vta1 and ESCRT-III family members on Vps4 ATPase activity. Two distinct mechanisms of Vps4 stimulation are described: Vps2 can directly stimulate Vps4 via its MIT domain, whereas Vps60 stimulates via Vta1. Moreover, Did2 can stimulate Vps4 by both mechanisms in distinct contexts. Recent structural determination of the ESCRT-III-binding region of Vta1 unexpectedly revealed a MIT-like region. These data support a model wherein a network of MIT and MIT-like domain interactions with ESCRT-III subunits contributes to the regulation of Vps4 activity during MVB sorting.     

Dual mechanisms specify Doa4-mediated deubiquitination at multivesicular bodies

Doa4 is a ubiquitin-specific protease in Saccharomyces cerevisiae that deubiquitinates integral membrane proteins sorted into the lumenal vesicles of late-endosomal multivesicular bodies (MVBs). We show that the non-catalytic N terminus of Doa4 mediates its recruitment to endosomes through its association with Bro1, which is one of several highly conserved class E Vps proteins that comprise the core MVB sorting machinery. In turn, Bro1 directly stimulates deubiquitination by interacting with a YPxL motif in the catalytic domain of Doa4. Mutations in either Doa4 or Bro1 that disrupt catalytic activation of Doa4 impair deubiquitination and sorting of MVB cargo proteins and lead to the formation of lumenal MVB vesicles that are predominantly small compared with the vesicles seen in wild-type cells. Thus, by recruiting Doa4 to late endosomes and stimulating its catalytic activity, Bro1 fulfills a novel dual role in coordinating deubiquitination in the MVB pathway.     

The Linker Region Plays a Regulatory Role in Assembly and Activity of the Vps4 AAA ATPase

The AAA-type ATPase Vps4 functions with components of the ESCRT (endosomal sorting complex required for transport) machinery in membrane fission events that are essential for endosomal maturation, cytokinesis, and the formation of retroviruses. A key step in these events is the assembly of monomeric Vps4 into the active ATPase complex, which is aided in part by binding of Vps4 via its N-terminal MIT (microtubule interacting and trafficking) domain to its substrate ESCRT-III. We found that the 40-amino acid linker region between the MIT and the ATPase domain of Vps4 is not required for proper function but plays a role in regulating Vps4 assembly and ATPase activity. Deletion of the linker is expected to bring the MIT domains into close proximity to the central pore of the Vps4 complex. We propose that this localization of the MIT domain in linker-deleted Vps4 mimics a repositioning of the MIT domain normally caused by binding of Vps4 to ESCRT-III. This structure would allow the Vps4 complex to engage ESCRT-III subunits with both the pore and the MIT domain simultaneously, which might be essential for the ATP-driven disassembly of ESCRT-III.     

Vps27 recruits ESCRT machinery to endosomes during MVB sorting

Down-regulation (degradation) of cell surface proteins within the lysosomal lumen depends on the function of the multivesicular body (MVB) sorting pathway. The function of this pathway requires the class E vacuolar protein sorting (Vps) proteins. Of the class E Vps proteins, both the ESCRT-I complex (composed of the class E proteins Vps23, 28, and 37) and Vps27 (mammalian hepatocyte receptor tyrosine kinase substrate, Hrs) have been shown to interact with ubiquitin, a signal for entry into the MVB pathway. We demonstrate that activation of the MVB sorting reaction is dictated largely through interactions between Vps27 and the endosomally enriched lipid species phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate via the FYVE domain (Fab1, YGL023, Vps27, and EEA1) of Vps27. ESCRT-I then physically binds to Vps27 on endosomal membranes via a domain within the COOH terminus of Vps27. A peptide sequence in this domain, PTVP, is involved in the function of Vps27 in the MVB pathway, the efficient endosomal recruitment of ESCRT-I, and is related to a motif in HIV-1 Gag protein that is capable of interacting with Tsg101, the mammalian homologue of Vps23. We propose that compartmental specificity for the MVB sorting reaction is the result of interactions of Vps27 with phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate and ubiquitin. Vps27 subsequently recruits/activates ESCRT-I on endosomes, thereby facilitating sorting of ubiquitinated MVB cargoes.     

Structural characterization of the ATPase reaction cycle of endosomal AAA protein Vps4

The multivesicular body (MVB) pathway functions in multiple cellular processes including cell surface receptor down-regulation and viral budding from host cells. An important step in the MVB pathway is the correct sorting of cargo molecules, which requires the assembly and disassembly of endosomal sorting complexes required for transport (ESCRTs) on the endosomal membrane. Disassembly of the ESCRTs is catalyzed by ATPase associated with various cellular activities (AAA) protein Vps4. Vps4 contains a single AAA domain and undergoes ATP-dependent quaternary structural change to disassemble the ESCRTs. Structural and biochemical analyses of the Vps4 ATPase reaction cycle are reported here. Crystal structures of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Vps4 in both the nucleotide-free form and the ADP-bound form provide the first structural view illustrating how nucleotide binding might induce conformational changes within Vps4 that lead to oligomerization and binding to its substrate ESCRT-III subunits. In contrast to previous models, characterization of the Vps4 structure now supports a model where the ground state of Vps4 in the ATPase reaction cycle is predominantly a monomer and the activated state is a dodecamer. Comparison with a previously reported human VPS4B structure suggests that Vps4 functions in the MVB pathway via a highly conserved mechanism supported by similar protein-protein interactions during its ATPase reaction cycle.     

The Vps4p AAA ATPase regulates membrane association of a Vps protein complex required for normal endosome function.

Vps4p is an AAA-type ATPase required for efficient transport of biosynthetic and endocytic cargo from an endosome to the lysosome-like vacuole of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Vps4p mutants that do not bind ATP or are defective in ATP hydrolysis were characterized both in vivo and in vitro. The nucleotide-free or ADP-bound form of Vps4p existed as a dimer, whereas in the ATP-locked state, Vps4p dimers assembled into a decameric complex. This suggests that ATP hydrolysis drives a cycle of association and dissociation of Vps4p dimers/decamers. Nucleotide binding also regulated the association of Vps4p with an endosomal compartment in vivo. This membrane association required the N-terminal coiled-coil motif of Vps4p, but deletion of the coiled-coil domain did not affect ATPase activity or oligomeric assembly of the protein. Membrane association of two previously uncharacterized class E Vps proteins, Vps24p and Vps32p/Snf7p, was also affected by mutations in VPS4. Upon inactivation of a temperature-conditional vps4 mutant, Vps24p and Vps32p/Snf7p rapidly accumulated in a large membrane-bound complex. Immunofluorescence indicated that both proteins function with Vps4p at a common endosomal compartment. Together, the data suggest that the Vps4 ATPase catalyzes the release (uncoating) of an endosomal membrane-associated class E protein complex(es) required for normal morphology and sorting activity of the endosome.     

Structural basis of Vta1 function in the multivesicular body sorting pathway

The MVB pathway plays essential roles in several eukaryotic cellular processes. Proper function of the MVB pathway requires reversible membrane association of the ESCRTs, a process catalyzed by Vps4 ATPase. Vta1 regulates the Vps4 activity, but its mechanism of action was poorly understood. We report the high-resolution crystal structures of the Did2- and Vps60-binding N-terminal domain and the Vps4-binding C-terminal domain of S. cerevisiae Vta1. The C-terminal domain also mediates Vta1 dimerization and both subunits are required for its function as a Vps4 regulator. Emerging from our analysis is a mechanism of regulation by Vta1 in which the C-terminal domain stabilizes the ATP-dependent double ring assembly of Vps4. In addition, the MIT motif-containing N-terminal domain, projected by a long disordered linker, allows contact between the Vps4 disassembly machinery and the accessory ESCRT-III proteins. This provides an additional level of regulation and coordination for ESCRT-III assembly and disassembly.     

Old world arenaviruses enter the host cell via the multivesicular body and depend on the endosomal sorting complex required for transport

The highly pathogenic Old World arenavirus Lassa virus (LASV) and the prototypic arenavirus lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) use α-dystroglycan as a cellular receptor and enter the host cell by an unusual endocytotic pathway independent of clathrin, caveolin, dynamin, and actin. Upon internalization, the viruses are delivered to acidified endosomes in a Rab5-independent manner bypassing classical routes of incoming vesicular trafficking. Here we sought to identify cellular factors involved in the unusual and largely unknown entry pathway of LASV and LCMV. Cell entry of LASV and LCMV required microtubular transport to late endosomes, consistent with the low fusion pH of the viral envelope glycoproteins. Productive infection with recombinant LCMV expressing LASV envelope glycoprotein (rLCMV-LASVGP) and LCMV depended on phosphatidyl inositol 3-kinase (PI3K) as well as lysobisphosphatidic acid (LBPA), an unusual phospholipid that is involved in the formation of intraluminal vesicles (ILV) of the multivesicular body (MVB) of the late endosome. We provide evidence for a role of the endosomal sorting complex required for transport (ESCRT) in LASV and LCMV cell entry, in particular the ESCRT components Hrs, Tsg101, Vps22, and Vps24, as well as the ESCRT-associated ATPase Vps4 involved in fission of ILV. Productive infection with rLCMV-LASVGP and LCMV also critically depended on the ESCRT-associated protein Alix, which is implicated in membrane dynamics of the MVB/late endosomes. Our study identifies crucial cellular factors implicated in Old World arenavirus cell entry and indicates that LASV and LCMV invade the host cell passing via the MVB/late endosome. Our data further suggest that the virus-receptor complexes undergo sorting into ILV of the MVB mediated by the ESCRT, possibly using a pathway that may be linked to the cellular trafficking and degradation of the cellular receptor.     

Ordered assembly of the ESCRT-III complex on endosomes is required to sequester cargo during MVB formation

The sequential action of the Vps27/HRS complex, ESCRT-I, -II, and -III is required to sort ubiquitinated transmembrane proteins to the lumen of lysosomes via the multivesicular body (MVB) pathway. While Vps27/HRS, ESCRT-I, and -II are recruited to endosomes as preformed complexes, the ESCRT-III subunits Vps20, Snf7, Vps24, and Vps2 only assemble into a complex on endosomes. We have addressed the pathway and the regulation for ESCRT-III assembly. Our findings indicate the ordered assembly of a transient 450 kDa ESCRT-III complex on endosomes. Despite biochemical and structural similarity, each subunit contributes a specific function. Vps20 nucleates transient oligomerization of Snf7, which appears to sequester MVB cargo. Vps24 terminates Snf7 oligomerization by recruiting Vps2, which subsequently engages the AAA-ATPase Vps4 to dissociate ESCRT-III. We propose that the ordered assembly and disassembly of ESCRT-III delineates an MVB sorting domain to sequester cargo and complete the last steps of MVB sorting.     

Bro1 stimulates Vps4 to promote intralumenal vesicle formation during multivesicular body biogenesis

Endosomal sorting complexes required for transport (ESCRT-0, -I, -II, -III) execute cargo sorting and intralumenal vesicle (ILV) formation during conversion of endosomes to multivesicular bodies (MVBs). The AAA-ATPase Vps4 regulates the ESCRT-III polymer to facilitate membrane remodeling and ILV scission during MVB biogenesis. Here, we show that the conserved V domain of ESCRT-associated protein Bro1 (the yeast homologue of mammalian proteins ALIX and HD-PTP) directly stimulates Vps4. This activity is required for MVB cargo sorting. Furthermore, the Bro1 V domain alone supports Vps4/ESCRT–driven ILV formation in vivo without efficient MVB cargo sorting. These results reveal a novel activity of the V domains of Bro1 homologues in licensing ESCRT-III–dependent ILV formation and suggest a role in coordinating cargo sorting with membrane remodeling during MVB sorting. Moreover, ubiquitin binding enhances V domain stimulation of Vps4 to promote ILV formation via the Bro1–Vps4–ESCRT-III axis, uncovering a novel role for ubiquitin during MVB biogenesis in addition to facilitating cargo recognition.     

Split-ubiquitin two-hybrid assay to analyze protein-protein interactions at the endosome: application to Saccharomyces cerevisiae Bro1 interacting with ESCRT complexes, the Doa4 ubiquitin hydrolase, and the Rsp5 ubiquitin ligase

Targeting of membrane proteins into the lysosomal/vacuolar lumen for degradation requires their prior sorting into multivesicular bodies (MVB). The MVB sorting pathway depends on ESCRT-0, -I, -II, and -III protein complexes functioning on the endosomal membrane and on additional factors, such as Bro1/Alix and the ubiquitin ligase Rsp5/Nedd4. We used the split-ubiquitin two-hybrid assay to analyze the interaction partners of yeast Bro1 at its natural cellular location. We show that Bro1 interacts with ESCRT-I and -III components, including Vps23, the Saccharomyces cerevisiae homologue of human Tsg101. These interactions do not require the C-terminal proline-rich domain (PRD) of Bro1. Rather, this PRD interacts with the Doa4 deubiquitinating enzyme to recruit it to the endosome. This interaction is disrupted by a single amino acid substitution in the conserved ELC box motif in Doa4. The PRD of Bro1 also mediates an association with Rsp5, and this interaction appears to be conserved, as Alix, the human homologue of Bro1, coimmunoprecipitates with Nedd4 in yeast lysates. We further show that the Bro1 PRD domain is essential to MVB sorting of only cargo proteins whose sorting to the vacuolar lumen is dependent on their own ubiquitination and Doa4. The Bro1 region preceding the PRD, however, is required for MVB sorting of proteins irrespective of whether their targeting to the vacuole is dependent on their ubiquitination and Doa4. Our data indicate that Bro1 interacts with several ESCRT components and contributes via its PRD to associating ubiquitinating and deubiquitinating enzymes with the MVB sorting machinery.     

Recycling of ESCRTs by the AAA-ATPase Vps4 is regulated by a conserved VSL region in Vta1

In eukaryotes, the multivesicular body (MVB) sorting pathway plays an essential role in regulating cell surface protein composition, thereby impacting numerous cellular functions. Vps4, an ATPase associated with a variety of cellular activities, is required late in the MVB sorting reaction to dissociate the endosomal sorting complex required for transport (ESCRT), a requisite for proper function of this pathway. However, regulation of Vps4 function is not understood. We characterize Vta1 as a positive regulator of Vps4 both in vivo and in vitro. Vta1 promotes proper assembly of Vps4 and stimulates its ATPase activity through the conserved Vta1/SBP1/LIP5 region present in Vta1 homologues across evolution, including human SBP1 and Arabidopsis thaliana LIP5. These results suggest an evolutionarily conserved mechanism through which the disassembly of the ESCRT proteins, and thereby MVB sorting, is regulated by the Vta1/SBP1/LIP5 proteins.     

Regulation of Vps4 during MVB sorting and cytokinesis

Multivesicular body (MVB) formation is the result of invagination and budding of the endosomal limiting membrane into its intralumenal space. These intralumenal vesicles (ILVs) contain a subset of endosomal transmembrane cargoes destined for degradation within the lysosome, the result of active selection during MVB sorting. Membrane bending and scission during ILV formation is topologically similar to cytokinesis in that both events require the abscission of a membrane neck that is oriented away from the cytoplasm. The endosomal sorting complexes required for transport (ESCRTs) represent cellular machinery whose function makes essential contributions to both of these processes. In particular, the AAA-ATPase Vps4 and its substrate ESCRT-III are key components that seem to execute the membrane abscission reaction. This review summarizes current knowledge about the Vps4-ESCRT-III system and discusses a model for how the recruitment of Vps4 to the different sites of function might be regulated.     

Binding of Substrates to the Central Pore of the Vps4 ATPase Is Autoinhibited by the Microtubule Interacting and Trafficking (MIT) Domain and Activated by MIT Interacting Motifs (MIMs)

The endosomal sorting complexes required for transport (ESCRT) pathway drives reverse topology membrane fission events within multiple cellular pathways, including cytokinesis, multivesicular body biogenesis, repair of the plasma membrane, nuclear membrane vesicle formation, and HIV budding. The AAA ATPase Vps4 is recruited to membrane necks shortly before fission, where it catalyzes disassembly of the ESCRT-III lattice. The N-terminal Vps4 microtubule-interacting and trafficking (MIT) domains initially bind the C-terminal MIT-interacting motifs (MIMs) of ESCRT-III subunits, but it is unclear how the enzyme then remodels these substrates in response to ATP hydrolysis. Here, we report quantitative binding studies that demonstrate that residues from helix 5 of the Vps2p subunit of ESCRT-III bind to the central pore of an asymmetric Vps4p hexamer in a manner that is dependent upon the presence of flexible nucleotide analogs that can mimic multiple states in the ATP hydrolysis cycle. We also find that substrate engagement is autoinhibited by the Vps4p MIT domain and that this inhibition is relieved by binding of either Type 1 or Type 2 MIM elements, which bind the Vps4p MIT domain through different interfaces. These observations support the model that Vps4 substrates are initially recruited by an MIM-MIT interaction that activates the Vps4 central pore to engage substrates and generate force, thereby triggering ESCRT-III disassembly.