Contribution of the clathrin adaptor AP-1 subunit µ1 to acidic cluster protein sorting.

Acidic clusters act as sorting signals for packaging cargo into clathrin-coated vesicles (CCVs), and also facilitate down-regulation of MHC-I by HIV-1 Nef. To find acidic cluster sorting machinery, we performed a gene-trap screen and identified the medium subunit (µ1) of the clathrin adaptor AP-1 as a top hit. In µ1 knockout cells, intracellular CCVs still form, but acidic cluster proteins are depleted, although several other CCV components were either unaffected or increased, indicating that cells can compensate for long-term loss of AP-1. In vitro experiments showed that the basic patch on µ1 that interacts with the Nef acidic cluster also contributes to the binding of endogenous acidic cluster proteins. Surprisingly, µ1 mutant proteins lacking the basic patch and/or the tyrosine-based motif binding pocket could rescue the µ1 knockout phenotype completely. In contrast, these mutants failed to rescue Nef-induced down-regulation of MHC class I, suggesting a possible mechanism for attacking the virus while sparing the host cell.

The cytoplasmic tail of L-selectin interacts with the adaptor-protein complex AP-1 subunit µ1A via a novel basic binding motif.

L-selectin regulates leukocyte adhesion and rolling along the endothelium. Proteins binding to the cytoplasmic tail of L-selectin regulate L-selectin functions. We used L-selectin cytoplasmic tail peptide pulldown assays combined with high sensitivity liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry to identify novel L-selectin tail-binding proteins. Incubation of the L-selectin tail with cell extracts from phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate-stimulated Raw 264.7 macrophages resulted in the binding of µ1A of the clathrin-coated vesicle AP-1 complex. Furthermore, full-length GST-µ1A and the GST-µ1A C-terminal domain, but not the GST-µ1A N-terminal domain, bind to L-selectin tail peptide, and the intracellular pool of L-selectin colocalizes with AP-1 at the trans-Golgi network. We identified a novel basic protein motif consisting of a cluster of three dibasic residues (356RR357, 359KK360, and 362KK363) in the membrane-proximal domain of the L-selectin tail as well as a doublet of aspartic acid residues (369DD370) in the membrane-distal end of the L-selectin tail involved in µ1A binding. Stimulation of Raw 264.7 macrophages with PMA augmented the amount of µ1A associated with anti-L-selectin immunoprecipitates. However, full-length GST-µ1A did not bind to the phospho-L-selectin tail or phospho-mimetic S364D L-selectin tail. Accordingly, we propose that phosphorylation of µ1A is required for interaction with the L-selectin tail and that L-selectin tail phosphorylation may regulate this interaction in vivo Molecular docking of the L-selectin tail to µ1A was used to identify the µ1A surface domain binding the L-selectin tail and to explain how phosphorylation of the L-selectin tail abrogates µ1A interaction. Our findings indicate that L-selectin is transported constitutively by the AP-1 complex, leading to the formation of a trans-Golgi network reserve pool and that phosphorylation of the L-selectin tail blocks AP-1-dependent retrograde transport of L-selectin.

The alternate AP-1 adaptor subunit Apm2 interacts with the Mil1 regulatory protein and confers differential cargo sorting.

Heterotetrameric adaptor protein complexes are important mediators of cargo protein sorting in clathrin-coated vesicles. The cell type-specific expression of alternate µ chains creates distinct forms of AP-1 with altered cargo sorting, but how these subunits confer differential function is unclear. Whereas some studies suggest the µ subunits specify localization to different cellular compartments, others find that the two forms of AP-1 are present in the same vesicle but recognize different cargo. Yeast have two forms of AP-1, which differ only in the µ chain. Here we show that the variant µ chain Apm2 confers distinct cargo-sorting functions. Loss of Apm2, but not of Apm1, increases cell surface levels of the v-SNARE Snc1. However, Apm2 is unable to replace Apm1 in sorting Chs3, which requires a dileucine motif recognized by the γ/σ subunits common to both complexes. Apm2 and Apm1 colocalize at Golgi/early endosomes, suggesting that they do not associate with distinct compartments. We identified a novel, conserved regulatory protein that is required for Apm2-dependent sorting events. Mil1 is a predicted lipase that binds Apm2 but not Apm1 and contributes to its membrane recruitment. Interactions with specific regulatory factors may provide a general mechanism to diversify the functional repertoire of clathrin adaptor complexes.

Basolateral sorting of the Mg²âº transporter CNNM4 requires interaction with AP-1A and AP-1B.

Ancient conserved domain protein/cyclin M (CNNM) 4 is an evolutionarily conserved Mg(2+) transporter that localizes at the basolateral membrane of the intestinal epithelia. Here, we show the complementary importance of clathrin adaptor protein (AP) complexes AP-1A and AP-1B in basolateral sorting of CNNM4. We first confirmed the basolateral localization of both endogenous and ectopically expressed CNNM4 in Madin-Darby Canine Kidney cells, which form highly polarized epithelia in culture. Single knockdown of µ1B, a cargo-recognition subunit of AP-1B, did not affect basolateral localization, but simultaneous knockdown of the µ1A subunit of AP-1A abrogated localization. Mutational analyses showed the importance of three conserved dileucine motifs in CNNM4 for both basolateral sorting and interaction with µ1A and µ1B. These results imply that CNNM4 is sorted to the basolateral membrane by the complementary function of AP-1A and AP-1B.

Structural and functional characterization of cargo-binding sites on the µ4-subunit of adaptor protein complex 4.

Adaptor protein (AP) complexes facilitate protein trafficking by playing key roles in the selection of cargo molecules to be sorted in post-Golgi compartments. Four AP complexes (AP-1 to AP-4) contain a medium-sized subunit (µ1-µ4) that recognizes YXXØ-sequences (Ø is a bulky hydrophobic residue), which are sorting signals in transmembrane proteins. A conserved, canonical region in µ subunits mediates recognition of YXXØ-signals by means of a critical aspartic acid. Recently we found that a non-canonical YXXØ-signal on the cytosolic tail of the Alzheimer's disease amyloid precursor protein (APP) binds to a distinct region of the µ4 subunit of the AP-4 complex. In this study we aimed to determine the functionality of both binding sites of µ4 on the recognition of the non-canonical YXXØ-signal of APP. We found that substitutions in either binding site abrogated the interaction with the APP-tail in yeast-two hybrid experiments. Further characterization by isothermal titration calorimetry showed instead loss of binding to the APP signal with only the substitution R283D at the non-canonical site, in contrast to a decrease in binding affinity with the substitution D190A at the canonical site. We solved the crystal structure of the C-terminal domain of the D190A mutant bound to this non-canonical YXXØ-signal. This structure showed no significant difference compared to that of wild-type µ4. Both differential scanning fluorimetry and limited proteolysis analyses demonstrated that the D190A substitution rendered µ4 less stable, suggesting an explanation for its lower binding affinity to the APP signal. Finally, in contrast to overexpression of the D190A mutant, and acting in a dominant-negative manner, overexpression of µ4 with either a F255A or a R283D substitution at the non-canonical site halted APP transport at the Golgi apparatus. Together, our analyses support that the functional recognition of the non-canonical YXXØ-signal of APP is limited to the non-canonical site of µ4.

Advances in analysis of low signal-to-noise images link dynamin and AP2 to the functions of an endocytic checkpoint.

Numerous endocytic accessory proteins (EAPs) mediate assembly and maturation of clathrin-coated pits (CCPs) into cargo-containing vesicles. Analysis of EAP function through bulk measurement of cargo uptake has been hampered due to potential redundancy among EAPs and, as we show here, the plasticity and resilience of clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME). Instead, EAP function is best studied by uncovering the correlation between variations in EAP association to individual CCPs and the resulting variations in maturation. However, most EAPs bind to CCPs in low numbers, making the measurement of EAP association via fused fluorescent reporters highly susceptible to detection errors. Here, we present a framework for unbiased measurement of EAP recruitment to CCPs and their direct effects on CCP dynamics. We identify dynamin and the EAP-binding α-adaptin appendage domain of the AP2 adaptor as switches in a regulated, multistep maturation process and provide direct evidence for a molecular checkpoint in CME.

Structural basis for the recognition of tyrosine-based sorting signals by the µ3A subunit of the AP-3 adaptor complex.

Tyrosine-based signals fitting the YXXØ motif mediate sorting of transmembrane proteins to endosomes, lysosomes, the basolateral plasma membrane of polarized epithelial cells, and the somatodendritic domain of neurons through interactions with the homologous µ1, µ2, µ3, and µ4 subunits of the corresponding AP-1, AP-2, AP-3, and AP-4 complexes. Previous x-ray crystallographic analyses identified distinct binding sites for YXXØ signals on µ2 and µ4, which were located on opposite faces of the proteins. To elucidate the mode of recognition of YXXØ signals by other members of the µ family, we solved the crystal structure at 1.85 Å resolution of the C-terminal domain of the µ3 subunit of AP-3 (isoform A) in complex with a peptide encoding a YXXØ signal (SDYQRL) from the trans-Golgi network protein TGN38. The µ3A C-terminal domain consists of an immunoglobulin-like ß-sandwich organized into two subdomains, A and B. The YXXØ signal binds in an extended conformation to a site on µ3A subdomain A, at a location similar to the YXXØ-binding site on µ2 but not µ4. The binding sites on µ3A and µ2 exhibit similarities and differences that account for the ability of both proteins to bind distinct sets of YXXØ signals. Biochemical analyses confirm the identification of the µ3A site and show that this protein binds YXXØ signals with 14-19 µm affinity. The surface electrostatic potential of µ3A is less basic than that of µ2, in part explaining the association of AP-3 with intracellular membranes having less acidic phosphoinositides.

Structural analysis of the interaction between Dishevelled2 and clathrin AP-2 adaptor, a critical step in noncanonical Wnt signaling.

Wnt association with its receptor, Frizzled (Fz), and recruitment by the latter of an adaptor, Dishevelled (Dvl), initiates signaling through at least two distinct pathways ("canonical" and "noncanonical"). Endocytosis and compartmentalization help determine the signaling outcome. Our previous work has shown that Dvl2 links at least one Frizzled family member (Fz4) to clathrin-mediated endocytosis by interacting with the µ2 subunit of the AP-2 clathrin adaptor, through both a classical endocytic tyrosine motif and a so-called "DEP domain." We report here the crystal structure of a chimeric protein that mimics the Dvl2-µ2 complex. The DEP domain binds at one end of the elongated, C-terminal domain of µ2. This domain:domain interface shows that parts of the µ2 surface distinct from the tyrosine-motif site can help recruit specific receptors or adaptors into a clathrin coated pit. Mutation of residues at the DEP-µ2 contact or in the tyrosine motif reduce affinity of Dvl2 for µ2 and block efficient internalization of Fz4 in response to ligation by Wnt5a. The crystal structure has thus allowed us to identify the specific interaction that leads to Frizzled uptake and to downstream, noncanonical signaling events.

Stonins--specialized adaptors for synaptic vesicle recycling and beyond?

Stonins are a small family of evolutionarily conserved clathrin adaptor complex AP-2mu-related factors that may act as cargo-specific sorting adaptors in endocytosis and perhaps beyond. Whereas little is known about the localization and function of stonin 1, recent work suggests that stonin 2 serves as a linker between the endocytic proteins AP-2 and Eps15 and the calcium-sensing synaptic vesicle (SV) protein synaptotagmin 1. The molecular determinants involved in the recognition of SV cargo by the mu-homology domain of stonin 2 are evolutionarily conserved from worm to man, thereby identifying stonin 2 and its invertebrate homologs uncoordinated (UNC)-41 and stoned B as endocytic adaptors dedicated to the retrieval of surface-stranded SV proteins, most notably synaptotagmin. In this review, we summarize the current state of knowledge about mammalian stonins with a special focus on the role of stonin 2 in SV recycling at presynaptic nerve terminals.

Phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-trisphosphate localization in recycling endosomes is necessary for AP-1B-dependent sorting in polarized epithelial cells.

Polarized epithelial cells coexpress two almost identical AP-1 clathrin adaptor complexes: the ubiquitously expressed AP-1A and the epithelial cell-specific AP-1B. The only difference between the two complexes is the incorporation of the respective medium subunits micro1A or micro1B, which are responsible for the different functions of AP-1A and AP-1B in TGN to endosome or endosome to basolateral membrane targeting, respectively. Here we demonstrate that the C-terminus of micro1B is important for AP-1B recruitment onto recycling endosomes. We define a patch of three amino acid residues in micro1B that are necessary for recruitment of AP-1B onto recycling endosomes containing phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-trisphosphate [PI(3,4,5)P(3)]. We found this lipid enriched in recycling endosomes of epithelial cells only when AP-1B is expressed. Interfering with PI(3,4,5)P(3) formation leads to displacement of AP-1B from recycling endosomes and missorting of AP-1B-dependent cargo to the apical plasma membrane. In conclusion, PI(3,4,5)P(3) formation in recycling endosomes is essential for AP-1B function.

A distributed set of interactions controls mu2 functionality in the role of AP-2 as a sorting adaptor in synaptic vesicle endocytosis.

The mechanisms of how, following exocytosis, the approximately nine types of synaptic vesicle (SV) transmembrane proteins are accurately resorted to form SVs are poorly understood. The time course of SV endocytosis is very sensitive to perturbations in clathrin and dynamin, supporting the model that SV endocytosis occurs through a clathrin-mediated pathway. We recently demonstrated that removal of the clathrin adaptor protein AP-2, the key protein thought to coordinate cargo selection into clathrin-coated pits, results in a significant impairment in endocytosis kinetics. Endocytosis, however, still proceeds in the absence of AP-2, bringing into question the role of AP-2 in cargo sorting in this process. Using quantitative endocytosis assays at nerve terminals, we examined how endocytosis depends on the integrity of mu2 function. Our experiments indicate that no single perturbation in mu2 prevents restoration of endocytic function when mutated mu2 replaces native mu2, whereas introduction of multiple distributed mutations significantly impairs endocytosis. We also examined whether the presence of AP-2 is important for the functionality of the previously identified endocytic motif in an SV cargo protein, the dileucine motif in vGlut-1. These data show that while mutations in the dileucine motif slow the retrieval of vGlut-1, they only do so in the presence of AP-2. These data thus indicate that AP-2 plays a role in cargo selection but that no single aspect of mu2 function is critical, implying that a more distributed network of interactions supports AP-2 function in SV endocytosis.

Molecular determinants for the interaction between AMPA receptors and the clathrin adaptor complex AP-2.

alpha-Amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionic acid (AMPA)-type glutamate receptors undergo constitutive and ligand-induced internalization that requires dynamin and the clathrin adaptor complex AP-2. We report here that an atypical basic motif within the cytoplasmic tails of AMPA-type glutamate receptors directly associates with mu2-adaptin by a mechanism similar to the recognition of the presynaptic vesicle protein synaptotagmin 1 by AP-2. A synaptotagmin 1-derived AP-2 binding peptide competes the interaction of the AMPA receptor subunit GluR2 with AP-2mu and increases the number of surface active glutamate receptors in living neurons. Moreover, fusion of the GluR2-derived tail peptide with a synaptotagmin 1 truncation mutant restores clathrin/AP-2-dependent internalization of the chimeric reporter protein. These data suggest that common mechanisms regulate AP-2-dependent internalization of pre- and postsynaptic membrane proteins.

Functional analysis of AP-2 alpha and mu2 subunits.

The AP-2 adaptor complex plays a key role in cargo recognition and clathrin-coated vesicle formation at the plasma membrane. To investigate the functions of individual binding sites and domains of the AP-2 complex in vivo, we have stably transfected HeLa cells with wild-type and mutant small interfering RNA-resistant alpha and mu2 subunits and then used siRNA knockdowns to deplete the endogenous proteins. Mutating the PtdIns(4,5)P2 binding site of alpha, the phosphorylation site of mu2, or the YXXPhi binding site of mu2 impairs AP-2 function, as assayed by transferrin uptake. In contrast, removing the C-terminal appendage domain of alpha, or mutating the PtdIns(4,5)P2 binding site of mu2, has no apparent effect. However, adding a C-terminal GFP tag to alpha renders it completely nonfunctional. These findings demonstrate that there is some functional redundancy in the binding sites of the various AP-2 subunits, because no single mutation totally abolishes function. They also help to explain why GFP-tagged AP-2 never appears to leave the plasma membrane in some live cell imaging studies. Finally, they establish a new model system that can be used both for additional structure-function analyses, and as a way of testing tagged constructs for function in vivo.

Stimulation of phosphatidylinositol kinase type I-mediated phosphatidylinositol (4,5)-bisphosphate synthesis by AP-2mu-cargo complexes.

Phosphatidylinositol (4,5)-bisphosphate [PI(4,5)P(2)] is an important factor for a variety of cellular functions ranging from cell signaling to actin cytoskeletal dynamics and endocytic membrane traffic. Here, we have identified the clathrin adaptor complex AP-2 as a regulator of phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate 5-kinase (PIPK)-mediated PI(4,5)P(2) synthesis. AP-2 directly interacts with the kinase core domain of type I PIPK isozymes via its mu2-subunit in vitro and in native protein extracts. Endocytic cargo protein binding to mu2 leads to a potent stimulation of PIPK activity. These data thus identify a positive feedback loop consisting of endocytic cargo proteins, AP-2mu, and PIPK type I which may provide a specific pool of PI(4,5)P(2) dedicated to clathrin/AP-2-dependent receptor internalization.

Hypertension-linked mutation in the adducin alpha-subunit leads to higher AP2-mu2 phosphorylation and impaired Na+,K+-ATPase trafficking in response to GPCR signals and intracellular sodium.

Alpha-adducin polymorphism in humans is associated with abnormal renal sodium handling and high blood pressure. The mechanisms by which mutations in adducin affect the renal set point for sodium excretion are not known. Decreases in Na+,K+-ATPase activity attributable to endocytosis of active units in renal tubule cells by dopamine regulates sodium excretion during high-salt diet. Milan rats carrying the hypertensive adducin phenotype have a higher renal tubule Na+,K+-ATPase activity, and their Na+,K+-ATPase molecules do not undergo endocytosis in response to dopamine as do those of the normotensive strain. Dopamine fails to promote the interaction between adaptins and the Na+,K+-ATPase because of adaptin-mu2 subunit hyperphosphorylation. Expression of the hypertensive rat or human variant of adducin into normal renal epithelial cells recreates the hypertensive phenotype with higher Na+,K+-ATPase activity, mu2-subunit hyperphosphorylation, and impaired Na+,K+-ATPase endocytosis. Thus, increased renal Na+,K+-ATPase activity and altered sodium reabsorption in certain forms of hypertension could be attributed to a mutant form of adducin that impairs the dynamic regulation of renal Na+,K+-ATPase endocytosis in response to natriuretic signals.

Clathrin promotes incorporation of cargo into coated pits by activation of the AP2 adaptor micro2 kinase.

Endocytic cargo such as the transferrin receptor is incorporated into clathrin-coated pits by associating, via tyrosine-based motifs, with the AP2 complex. Cargo-AP2 interactions occur via the mu2 subunit of AP2, which needs to be phosphorylated for endocytosis to occur. The most likely role for mu2 phosphorylation is in cargo recruitment because mu2 phosphorylation enhances its binding to internalization motifs. Here, we investigate the control of mu2 phosphorylation. We identify clathrin as a specific activator of the mu2 kinase and, in permeabilized cells, we show that ligand sequestration, driven by exogenous clathrin, results in elevated levels of mu2 phosphorylation. Furthermore, we show that AP2 containing phospho-mu2 is mainly associated with assembled clathrin in vivo, and that the level of phospho-mu2 is strongly reduced in a chicken B cell line depleted of clathrin heavy chain. Our results imply a central role for clathrin in the regulation of cargo selection via the modulation of phospho-mu2 levels.

The adaptor complex 2 directly interacts with the alpha 1b-adrenergic receptor and plays a role in receptor endocytosis.

Using the yeast two-hybrid system, we identified the mu 2 subunit of the clathrin adaptor complex 2 as a protein interacting with the C-tail of the alpha 1b-adrenergic receptor (AR). Direct association between the alpha 1b-AR and mu 2 was demonstrated using a solid phase overlay assay. The alpha 1b-AR/mu 2 interaction occurred inside the cells, as shown by the finding that the transfected alpha 1b-AR and the endogenous mu 2 could be coimmunoprecipitated from HEK-293 cell extracts. Mutational analysis of the alpha 1b-AR revealed that the binding site for mu 2 does not involve canonical YXX Phi or dileucine motifs but a stretch of eight arginines on the receptor C-tail. The binding domain of mu 2 for the receptor C-tail involves both its N terminus and the subdomain B of its C-terminal portion. The alpha 1b-AR specifically interacted with mu 2, but not with the mu 1, mu 3, or mu 4 subunits belonging to other AP complexes. The deletion of the mu 2 binding site in the C-tail markedly decreased agonist-induced receptor internalization as demonstrated by confocal microscopy as well as by the results of a surface receptor biotinylation assay. The direct association of the adaptor complex 2 with a G protein-coupled receptor has not been reported so far and might represent a common mechanism underlying clathrin-mediated receptor endocytosis.