Dynamin GTPase domain mutants block endocytic vesicle formation at morphologically distinct stages.

Abundant evidence has shown that the GTPase dynamin is required for receptor-mediated endocytosis, but its exact role in endocytic clathrin-coated vesicle formation remains to be established. Whereas dynamin GTPase domain mutants that are defective in GTP binding and hydrolysis are potent dominant-negative inhibitors of receptor-mediated endocytosis, overexpression of dynamin GTPase effector domain (GED) mutants that are selectively defective in assembly-stimulated GTPase-activating protein activity can stimulate the formation of constricted coated pits and receptor-mediated endocytosis. These apparently conflicting results suggest that a complex relationship exists between dynamin's GTPase cycle of binding and hydrolysis and its role in endocytic coated vesicle formation. We sought to explore this complex relationship by generating dynamin GTPase mutants predicted to be defective at distinct stages of its GTPase cycle and examining the structural intermediates that accumulate in cells overexpressing these mutants. We report that the effects of nucleotide-binding domain mutants on dynamin's GTPase cycle in vitro are not as predicted by comparison to other GTPase superfamily members. Specifically, GTP and GDP association was destabilized for each of the GTPase domain mutants we analyzed. Nonetheless, we find that overexpression of dynamin mutants with subtle differences in their GTPase properties can lead to the accumulation of distinct intermediates in endocytic coated vesicle formation.

Dynamin:GTP controls the formation of constricted coated pits, the rate limiting step in clathrin-mediated endocytosis.

The GTPase dynamin is essential for receptor-mediated endocytosis, but its function remains controversial. A domain of dynamin, termed the GTPase effector domain (GED), controls dynamin's high stimulated rates of GTP hydrolysis by functioning as an assembly-dependent GAP. Dyn(K694A) and dyn(R725A) carry point mutations within GED resulting in reduced assembly stimulated GTPase activity. Biotinylated transferrin is more rapidly sequestered from avidin in cells transiently overexpressing either of these two activating mutants (Sever, S., A.B. Muhlberg, and S.L. Schmid. 1999. Nature. 398:481-486), suggesting that early events in receptor-mediated endocytosis are accelerated. Using stage-specific assays and morphological analyses of stably transformed cells, we have identified which events in clathrin-coated vesicle formation are accelerated by the overexpression of dyn(K694A) and dyn(R725A). Both mutants accelerate the formation of constricted coated pits, which we identify as the rate limiting step in endocytosis. Surprisingly, overexpression of dyn(R725A), whose primary defect is in stimulated GTP hydrolysis, but not dyn(K694A), whose primary defect is in self-assembly, inhibited membrane fission leading to coated vesicle release. Together, our data support a model in which dynamin functions like a classical GTPase as a key regulator of clathrin-mediated endocytosis.

Evidence that dynamin-2 functions as a signal-transducing GTPase.

The role of dynamin GTPases in the regulation of receptor-mediated endocytosis is well established. Here, we present new evidence that the ubiquitously expressed isoform dynamin-2 (dyn2) can also function in a signal transduction pathway(s). A 200-fold overexpression of dyn1, the 70% identical neuronal isoform, has no effect. Our data suggest that dyn2 can act as a signal transducing GTPase affecting transcriptional regulation.

Garrotes, springs, ratchets, and whips: putting dynamin models to the test.

The GTPase dynamin is essential for clathrin-mediated endocytosis. Numerous new and exciting discoveries regarding dynamin function in vivo and in vitro have led to various models in which dynamin functions directly in membrane fission and the release of clathrin-coated vesicles from the plasma membrane. This would make dynamin unique among GTPases in its ability to act as a mechanochemical enzyme. Here we review the various models and their supporting data. We then discuss new findings that raise doubts as to whether dynamin breaks the paradigm that governs regulatory GTPases.

Dynamin and receptor-mediated endocytosis.

The internalization of receptor-bound ligands involves concentration of cell surface receptors in specialized areas of the plasma membrane and subsequent formation of clathrin-coated vesicles. The complex process of invagination, constriction and budding of clathrin-coated vesicles employs the coordinated actions of several proteins. This review is focused on the GTPase dynamin, which plays a key role in the constriction of coated pits.

Coated vesicles: a diversity of form and function.

In every well-characterized example, the small transport vesicles that mediate membrane trafficking between intracellular organelles are encased in a protein coat. In general, the coat proteins assemble from cytosolic pools onto the membrane and play a critical role in vesicle formation. Recent reviews have emphasized the clear similarities in the mechanisms that drive vesicle budding at distinct cellular locations. Here we focus on the diversity of solutions to an apparently related biological task. These mechanistic differences are likely to be physiologically important determinants of the diversity in form, and function of coated transport vesicles.

Clathrin-independent pinocytosis is induced in cells overexpressing a temperature-sensitive mutant of dynamin.

A stable HeLa cell line expressing a dynamin mutant, dynts, exhibits a temperature-sensitive defect in endocytic clathrin-coated vesicle formation. Dynts carries a point mutation, G273D, corresponding to the Drosophila shibirets1 allele. The ts-defect in receptor-mediated endocytosis shows a rapid onset (< 5 min) and is readily reversible. At the nonpermissive temperature (38 degrees C) HRP uptake is only partially inhibited. Moreover, when cells are held at the nonpermissive temperature, fluid phase uptake fully recovers to wild-type levels within 30 min, while receptor-mediated endocytosis remains inhibited. The residual HRP uptake early after shift to the nonpermissive temperature and the induced HRP uptake that occurs after recovery are insensitive to cytosol acidification under conditions that potently inhibit receptor-mediated endocytosis of Tfn. Together, these results suggest that a dynamin- and clathrin-independent mechanism contributes to the total constitutive pinocytosis in HeLa cells and that dynts cells rapidly and completely compensate for the loss of clathrin-dependent endocytosis by inducing an alternate endocytic pathway.

Induction of mutant dynamin specifically blocks endocytic coated vesicle formation.

Dynamin is the mammalian homologue to the Drosophila shibire gene product. Mutations in this 100-kD GTPase cause a pleiotropic defect in endocytosis. To further investigate its role, we generated stable HeLa cell lines expressing either wild-type dynamin or a mutant defective in GTP binding and hydrolysis driven by a tightly controlled, tetracycline-inducible promoter. Overexpression of wild-type dynamin had no effect. In contrast, coated pits failed to become constricted and coated vesicles failed to bud in cells overexpressing mutant dynamin so that endocytosis via both transferrin (Tfn) and EGF receptors was potently inhibited. Coated pit assembly, invagination, and the recruitment of receptors into coated pits were unaffected. Other vesicular transport pathways, including Tfn receptor recycling, Tfn receptor biosynthesis, and cathepsin D transport to lysosomes via Golgi-derived coated vesicles, were unaffected. Bulk fluid-phase uptake also continued at the same initial rates as wild type. EM immunolocalization showed that membrane-bound dynamin was specifically associated with clathrin-coated pits on the plasma membrane. Dynamin was also associated with isolated coated vesicles, suggesting that it plays a role in vesicle budding. Like the Drosophila shibire mutant, HeLa cells overexpressing mutant dynamin accumulated long tubules, many of which remained connected to the plasma membrane. We conclude that dynamin is specifically required for endocytic coated vesicle formation, and that its GTP binding and hydrolysis activities are required to form constricted coated pits and, subsequently, for coated vesicle budding.

Effects of insulin-like growth factor II on the generation of inositol trisphosphate, diacylglycerol and cAMP in human fibroblasts.

In human fibroblasts, exogenous insulin-like growth factor-II (IGF-II) induce a rapid redistribution of mannose 6-phosphate/IGF-II receptors. To analyze the mechanism transducing the IGF-II signal the phosphoinositide hydrolysis, 1,2-diacyglycerol and cAMP formation were studied after incubation with IGFs. While IGF-I (10 nM, 30 s) increased the inositol trisphosphate formation IGF-II (10 nM, up to 10 min) failed to affect phosphoinositide hydrolysis and had neither an effect on basal concentrations of diacylglycerol containing arachidonic acid or myristic acid nor on intracellular cAMP. On the contrary, pretreatment with IGF-II for 10 min enhanced the cAMP production stimulated by bradykinin (10 nM, 3 min) by 2.5-fold whereas no additive effects of IGF-II on the increased ligand binding to the mannose 6-phosphate/IGF-II receptor in response to bradykinin were observed. These results indicate that in fibroblasts the rapid IGF-II-induced redistribution of mannose 6-phosphate/IGF-II receptors is not mediated by inositol trisphosphate, diacylglycerol or cAMP, but that IGF-II may modulate permissively other agonist-generated signals.

Mutations in human dynamin block an intermediate stage in coated vesicle formation.

The role of human dynamin in receptor-mediated endocytosis was investigated by transient expression of GTP-binding domain mutants in mammalian cells. Using assays which detect intermediates in coated vesicle formation, the dynamin mutants were found to block endocytosis at a stage after the initiation of coat assembly and preceding the sequestration of ligands into deeply invaginated coated pits. Membrane transport from the ER to the Golgi complex was unaffected indicating that dynamin mutants specifically block early events in endocytosis. These results demonstrate that mutations in the GTP-binding domain of dynamin block Tfn-endocytosis in mammalian cells and suggest that a functional dynamin GTPase is required for receptor-mediated endocytosis via clathrin-coated pits.

Brefeldin A affects the cellular distribution of endocytic receptors differentially.

The cell surface expression of three endocytic receptors was studied in human hepatoma Hep G2 cells treated with brefeldin A (BFA). Ligand binding and cell surface iodination revealed that BFA increased the number of mannose 6-phosphate/insulin-like growth factor II receptors twofold and decreased the amount of asialoglycoprotein and transferrin receptors by 40-60%. The altered expression of receptors at the cell surface was paralleled by changes in the respective ligand uptake. The implications of this finding on our understanding of intracellular trafficking are discussed.

Simultaneous redistribution of mannose 6-phosphate and transferrin receptors by insulin-like growth factors and phorbol ester.

Insulin-like growth factors I and II (IGF-I and IGF-II) and phorbol ester are known to induce in fibroblasts a rapid redistribution of mannose 6-phosphate (M6P)/IGF II-receptors to the cell surface. We compared the redistribution of the M6P/IGF-II receptor with that of the 46 kDa M6P receptor (MPR46) and of receptors for transferrin, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and epidermal growth factor (EGF) in human fibroblasts under the influence of these effectors. None of the effectors altered the surface expression of receptors for LDL or EGF, which are predominantly located at the cell surface. IGF-I, IGF-II and phorbol ester increased the surface expression of the M6P/IGF-II receptor and of MPR46. The concentration of the transferrin receptor at the cell surface was increased only by IGF-I and IGF-II, with similar kinetics as for the M6P/IGF-II receptor, suggesting that the same mechanism causes redistribution. The increased surface expression of M6P receptors was accompanied by an increased uptake of receptor ligands. The number of transferrin receptors did not correlate with iron uptake, although neither the rate nor the extent of transferrin internalization was changed. These results indicate that the redistribution of several endocytic receptors induced by IGF-I, IGF-II and phorbol ester shows selectivity, and that the uptake of receptor ligand may become uncoupled from the surface expression of the receptors via distinct mechanisms.

Effects of brefeldin A on the endocytic route. Redistribution of mannose 6-phosphate/insulin-like growth factor II receptors to the cell surface.

The effect of brefeldin A (BFA) on the trafficking of the mannose 6-phosphate/insulin-like growth factor II receptor within the endocytic route was analyzed. Treatment with BFA induced a redistribution of the receptor to the cell surface and increased both the binding and internalization of ligands 2-4-fold. The effect of BFA was dose- and time-dependent and reversible. Determinations of transport rates showed that BFA increases the internalization rate and the externalization rate of the receptor. This implies that the higher surface concentration is due to higher concentrations of receptor at the intracellular sites from where they recycle to the cell surface. The effect of BFA was additive to the redistribution induced by insulin-like growth factors I and II and was observed in all human and rodent cell lines analyzed. BFA increased also the cell surface expression of the Mr 46,000 mannose 6-phosphate receptor but not of the transferrin receptor. The results indicate that BFA interferes with the transport of mannose 6-phosphate receptors and affects the endocytosis of lysosomal enzymes by increasing the number of receptors available for recycling to the cell surface.