The actin-binding protein Hip1R associates with clathrin during early stages of endocytosis and promotes clathrin assembly in vitro.

Huntingtin-interacting protein 1 related (Hip1R) is a novel component of clathrin-coated pits and vesicles and is a mammalian homologue of Sla2p, an actin-binding protein important for both actin organization and endocytosis in yeast. Here, we demonstrate that Hip1R binds via its putative central coiled-coil domain to clathrin, and provide evidence that Hip1R and clathrin are associated in vivo at sites of endocytosis. First, real-time analysis of Hip1R-YFP and DsRed-clathrin light chain (LC) in live cells revealed that these proteins show almost identical temporal and spatial regulation at the cell cortex. Second, at the ultrastructure level, immunogold labeling of 'unroofed' cells showed that Hip1R localizes to clathrin-coated pits. Third, overexpression of Hip1R affected the subcellular distribution of clathrin LC. Consistent with a functional role for Hip1R in endocytosis, we also demonstrated that it promotes clathrin cage assembly in vitro. Finally, we showed that Hip1R is a rod-shaped apparent dimer with globular heads at either end, and that it can assemble clathrin-coated vesicles and F-actin into higher order structures. In total, Hip1R's properties suggest an early endocytic function at the interface between clathrin, F-actin, and lipids.

The class II phosphoinositide 3-kinase C2alpha is activated by clathrin and regulates clathrin-mediated membrane trafficking.

Phosphoinositides play key regulatory roles in vesicular transport pathways in eukaryotic cells. Clathrin-mediated membrane trafficking has been shown to require phosphoinositides, but little is known about the enzyme(s) responsible for their formation. Here we report that clathrin functions as an adaptor for the class II PI 3-kinase C2alpha (PI3K-C2alpha), binding to its N-terminal region and stimulating its catalytic activity, especially toward phosphorylated inositide substrates. Further, we show that endogenous PI3K-C2alpha is localized in coated pits and that exogenous expression affects clathrin-mediated endocytosis and sorting in the trans-Golgi network. These findings provide a mechanistic basis for localized inositide generation at sites of clathrin-coated bud formation, which, with recruitment of inositide binding proteins and subsequent synaptojanin-mediated phosphoinositide hydrolysis, may regulate coated vesicle formation and uncoating.

Selective recruitment of arrestin-3 to clathrin coated pits upon stimulation of G protein-coupled receptors.

Non-visual arrestins (arrestin-2 and arrestin-3) play critical roles in the desensitization and internalization of many G protein-coupled receptors. In vitro experiments have shown that both non-visual arrestins bind with high and approximately comparable affinities to activated, phosphorylated forms of receptors. They also exhibit high affinity binding, again of comparable magnitude, to clathrin. Further, agonist-promoted internalization of many receptors has been found to be stimulated by exogenous over-expression of either arrestin2 or arrestin3. The existence of multiple arrestins raises the question whether stimulated receptors are selective for a specific endogenous arrestin under more physiological conditions. Here we address this question in RBL-2H3 cells, a cell line that expresses comparable levels of endogenous arrestin-2 and arrestin-3. When (beta)(2)-adrenergic receptors are stably expressed in these cells the receptors internalize efficiently following agonist stimulation. However, by immunofluorescence microscopy we determine that only arrestin-3, but not arrestin-2, is rapidly recruited to clathrin coated pits upon receptor stimulation. Similarly, in RBL-2H3 cells that stably express physiological levels of m1AChR, the addition of carbachol selectively induces the localization of arrestin-3, but not arrestin-2, to coated pits. Thus, this work demonstrates coupling of G protein-coupled receptors to a specific non-visual arrestin in an in vivo setting.

The class II phosphoinositide 3-kinase PI3K-C2alpha is concentrated in the trans-Golgi network and present in clathrin-coated vesicles.

In recent years, a large family of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) isozymes has been characterized and cloned. Several of these PI3K enzymes have overlapping tissue distributions and it remains unclear if and how their 3-phosphoinositide products elicit differential, intracellular effects. One possibility is that the PI3K enzymes display a restricted distribution within the cell to produce their 3-phospholipid products in specific, subcellular compartments. In the present study we characterize the subcellular distribution of the novel class II PI3K isozyme PI3K-C2alpha in several mammalian cell types. Differential centrifugation of COS-1 and U937 cells together with Western blot analysis demonstrated that PI3K-C2alpha is constitutively associated with phospholipid membranes. Centrifugation of rat brain homogenates and Western blotting revealed that in contrast to the class IA PI3K enzymes, PI3K-C2alpha could be co-purified with a population of clathrin-coated vesicles (CCVs). Furthermore, a PI3K activity refractory to wortmannin treatment was detected in CCV preparations consistent with the presence of the PI3K-C2alpha isozyme. These biochemical observations were supported by immunofluorescence analysis that revealed PI3K-C2alpha to have a punctate distribution and an enrichment of immunoreactivity within a perinuclear site consistent with its presence in the endoplasmic reticulum or Golgi apparatus. Dual label immunofluorescence demonstrated that in this region, the distribution of PI3K-C2alpha closely paralleled that of gamma-adaptin, a component of the AP-1 adaptor that is present in the trans-Golgi and the trans-Golgi network (TGN) resident protein TGN-46. Neither the phospholipid association nor the subcellular localization of PI3K-C2alpha was dependent upon either its COOH-terminal PX or C2 domains. Mutants lacking these domains demonstrated a similar distribution to the wild type enzyme when expressed as recombinant proteins. Treatment of cells with brefeldin A disrupted the perinuclear staining pattern of both PI3K-C2alpha and the AP-1 complex demonstrating that the localization of both molecules at the TGN is dependent upon ADP-ribosylation factor GTPase activity.

Spatial control of coated-pit dynamics in living cells.

Here we visualize new aspects of the dynamics of endocytotic clathrin-coated pits and vesicles in mammalian cells by using a fusion protein consisting of green fluorescent protein and clathrin light chain a. Clathrin-coated pits invaginating from the plasma membrane show definite, but highly limited, mobility within the membrane that is relaxed upon treatment with latrunculin B, an inhibitor of actin assembly, indicating that an actin-based framework may be involved in the mobility of these pits. Transient, motile coated vesicles that originate from coated pits can be detected, with multiple vesicles occasionally appearing to emanate from a single pit. Despite their seemingly random distribution, coated pits tend to form repeatedly at defined sites while excluding other regions. This spatial regulation of coated-pit assembly and function is attributable to the attachment of the coated pits to the membrane skeleton.

Phosphoinositide-AP-2 interactions required for targeting to plasma membrane clathrin-coated pits.

The clathrin-associated AP-2 adaptor protein is a major polyphosphoinositide-binding protein in mammalian cells. A high affinity binding site has previously been localized to the NH(2)-terminal region of the AP-2 alpha subunit (Gaidarov et al. 1996. J. Biol. Chem. 271:20922-20929). Here we used deletion and site- directed mutagenesis to determine that alpha residues 21-80 comprise a discrete folding and inositide-binding domain. Further, positively charged residues located within this region are involved in binding, with a lysine triad at positions 55-57 particularly critical. Mutant peptides and protein in which these residues were changed to glutamine retained wild-type structural and functional characteristics by several criteria including circular dichroism spectra, resistance to limited proteolysis, and clathrin binding activity. When expressed in intact cells, mutated alpha subunit showed defective localization to clathrin-coated pits; at high expression levels, the appearance of endogenous AP-2 in coated pits was also blocked consistent with a dominant-negative phenotype. These results, together with recent work indicating that phosphoinositides are also critical to ligand-dependent recruitment of arrestin-receptor complexes to coated pits (Gaidarov et al. 1999. EMBO (Eur. Mol. Biol. Organ.) J. 18:871-881), suggest that phosphoinositides play a critical and general role in adaptor incorporation into plasma membrane clathrin-coated pits.

Acute cholesterol depletion inhibits clathrin-coated pit budding.

Many biologically important macromolecules are internalized into cells by clathrin-coated pit endocytosis. The mechanism of clathrin-coated pit budding has been investigated intensively, and considerable progress has been made in characterizing the proteins involved in internalization. Membrane lipid composition and the lateral organization of lipids and proteins within membranes are believed to play an important role in the regulation of membrane-trafficking processes. Here we report that membrane cholesterol plays a critical role in clathrin-coated pit internalization. We show that acute cholesterol depletion, using beta-methyl-cyclodextrin, specifically reduces the rate of internalization of transferrin receptor by more than 85%, without affecting intracellular receptor trafficking back to the cell surface. The effect on endocytosis is attributable to a failure of coated pits to detach from the plasma membrane, as visualized by using a green fluorescent protein-clathrin conjugate in living cells. Ultrastructural studies indicate that acute cholesterol depletion causes accumulation of flat-coated membranes and a corresponding decrease in deep-coated pits, consistent with the possibility that flat clathrin lattices are direct precursors of indented pits and endocytic vesicles in intact cells. We conclude that clathrin is unable to induce curvature in the membrane depleted of cholesterol.

Arrestin function in G protein-coupled receptor endocytosis requires phosphoinositide binding.

Internalization of agonist-activated G protein-coupled receptors is mediated by non-visual arrestins, which also bind to clathrin and are therefore thought to act as adaptors in the endocytosis process. Phosphoinositides have been implicated in the regulation of intracellular receptor trafficking, and are known to bind to other coat components including AP-2, AP180 and COPI coatomer. Given these observations, we explored the possibility that phosphoinositides play a role in arrestin's function as an adaptor. High-affinity binding sites for phosphoinositides in beta-arrestin (arrestin2) and arrestin3 (beta-arrestin2) were identified, and dissimilar effects of phosphoinositide and inositol phosphate on arrestin interactions with clathrin and receptor were characterized. Alteration of three basic residues in arrestin3 abolished phosphoinositide binding with complete retention of clathrin and receptor binding. Unlike native protein, upon agonist activation, this mutant arrestin3 expressed in COS1 cells neither supported beta2-adrenergic receptor internalization nor did it concentrate in coated pits, although it was recruited to the plasma membrane. These findings indicate that phosphoinositide binding plays a critical regulatory role in delivery of the receptor-arrestin complex to coated pits, perhaps by providing, with activated receptor, a multi-point attachment of arrestin to the plasma membrane.

Endocytic clathrin-coated pit formation is independent of receptor internalization signal levels.

The mechanisms responsible for coated pit formation in cells remain unknown, but indirect evidence has argued both for and against a critical role of receptor cytoplasmic domains in the process. If the endocytic motifs of receptors are responsible for recruiting AP2 to the plasma membrane, thereby driving coated pit formation, then the level of constitutively internalized receptors at the membrane would be expected to govern the steady-state level of coated pits in cells. Here we directly test this hypothesis for broad classes of receptors containing three distinct constitutive internalization signals. Chimeric proteins consisting of an integral membrane reporter protein (Tac) coupled to cytoplasmic domains bearing tyrosine-, di-leucine-, or acidic cluster/casein kinase II-based internalization signals were overexpressed to levels that saturated the internalization pathway. Quantitative confocal immunofluorescence microscopy indicated that the number of plasma membrane clathrin-coated pits and the concentration of their structural components were invariant when comparing cells expressing saturating levels of the chimeric receptors to nonexpressing cells or to cells expressing only the Tac reporter lacking cytoplasmic internalization signals. Biochemical analysis showed that the distribution of coat proteins between assembled coated pits and soluble pools was also not altered by receptor overexpression. Finally, the cellular localizations of AP2 and AP1 were similarly unaffected. These results provide a clear indication that receptor endocytic signals do not determine coated pit levels by directly recruiting AP2 molecules. Rather, the findings support a model in which coated pit formation proceeds through recruitment and activation of AP2, likely through a limited number of regulated docking sites that act independently of endocytic signals.

Arrestin/clathrin interaction. Localization of the clathrin binding domain of nonvisual arrestins to the carboxy terminus.

We have recently demonstrated that the nonvisual arrestins, beta-arrestin and arrestin3, interact with high affinity and stoichiometrically with clathrin, and we postulated that this interaction mediates internalization of G protein-coupled receptors (Goodman, O. B., Jr., Krupnick, J. G., Santini, F., Gurevich, V. V., Penn, R. B., Gagnon, A. W., Keen, J. H., and Benovic, J. L. (1996) Nature 383, 447-450). In this study, we localized the clathrin binding domain of arrestin3 using a variety of approaches. Truncation mutagenesis demonstrated that the COOH-terminal half of arrestin3 is required for clathrin interaction. Assessment of the clathrin binding properties of various glutathione S-transferase-arrestin3 fusion proteins indicated that the predominant clathrin binding domain is contained within residues 367-385. Alanine scanning mutagenesis further localized this domain to residues 371-379, and site-directed mutagenesis demonstrated the critical importance of both hydrophobic (Leu-373, Ile-374, and Phe-376) and acidic (Glu-375 and Glu-377) residues in the arrestin3/clathrin interaction. These results are complementary to the observation that hydrophobic and basic residues in clathrin are critical for its interaction with nonvisual arrestins (Goodman, O. B. , Jr., Krupnick, J. G., Gurevich, V. V., Benovic, J. L., and Keen, J. H. (1997) J. Biol. Chem. 272, 15017-15022). Lastly, an arrestin3 mutant in which Leu-373, Ile-374, and Phe-376 were mutated to Ala was significantly defective in its ability to promote beta2-adrenergic receptor internalization in COS-1 cells when compared with wild-type arrestin3. Taken together, these results implicate a discrete region of arrestin3 in high affinity binding to clathrin, an interaction critical for agonist-promoted internalization of the beta2-adrenergic receptor.

Arrestin/clathrin interaction. Localization of the arrestin binding locus to the clathrin terminal domain.

Previously we demonstrated that nonvisual arrestins exhibit a high affinity interaction with clathrin, consistent with an adaptor function in the internalization of G protein-coupled receptors (Goodman, O. B., Jr., Krupnick, J. G., Santini, F., Gurevich, V. V., Penn, R. B., Gagnon, A. W., Keen, J. H., and Benovic, J. L. (1996) Nature 383, 447-450). In this report we show that a short sequence of highly conserved residues within the globular clathrin terminal domain is responsible for arrestin binding. Limited proteolysis of clathrin cages results in the release of terminal domains and concomitant abrogation of arrestin binding. The nonvisual arrestins, beta-arrestin and arrestin3, but not visual arrestin, bind specifically to a glutathione S-transferase-clathrin terminal domain fusion protein. Deletion analysis and alanine scanning mutagenesis localize the binding site to residues 89-100 of the clathrin heavy chain and indicate that residues 1-100 can function as an independent arrestin binding domain. Site-directed mutagenesis identifies an invariant glutamine (Glu-89) and two highly conserved lysines (Lys-96 and Lys-98) as residues critical for arrestin binding, complementing hydrophobic and acidic residues in arrestin3 which have been implicated in clathrin binding (Krupnick, J. G., Goodman, O. B., Jr., Keen, J. H., and Benovic, J. L. (1997) J. Biol. Chem. 272, 15011-15016). Despite exhibiting high affinity clathrin binding, arrestins do not induce coat assembly. The terminal domain is oriented toward the plasma membrane in coated pits, and its binding of both arrestins and AP-2 suggests that this domain is the anchor responsible for adaptor-receptor recruitment to the coated pit.

Mapping of the molecular determinants involved in the interaction between eps15 and AP-2.

eps15, a substrate for the epidermal growth factor receptor and other receptor tyrosine kinases, possesses a discrete domain structure with protein-binding properties. It interacts with a number of cellular proteins through an evolutionarily conserved protein-binding domain, the eps15 homology domain, located in its NH2-terminal region. In addition, a proline-rich region, located in the COOH-terminal portion of eps15, can bind to the Src homology 3 domain of the crk proto-oncogene product in vitro. Recently, coimmunoprecipitation between eps15 and AP-2, a major component of coated pits, was reported. Here, we characterize the molecular determinants of the eps15/AP-2 interaction. The AP-2 binding region of eps15 is localized in its COOH-terminal region and spans approximately 80 amino acids. At least three molecular determinants, located at residues 650-660, 680-690, and 720-730, are involved in the binding. AP-2 binds to eps15 through its alpha subunit (alpha-adaptin); in particular, the COOH-terminal region of alpha-adaptin, the so-called alpha-ear, contains the eps15 binding region.

Modulation of the arrestin-clathrin interaction in cells. Characterization of beta-arrestin dominant-negative mutants.

We recently demonstrated that nonvisual arrestins interact via a C-terminal binding domain with clathrin and function as adaptor proteins to promote beta2-adrenergic receptor (beta2AR) internalization. Here, we investigated the potential utility of a mini-gene expressing the clathrin-binding domain of beta-arrestin (beta-arrestin (319-418)) to function as a dominant-negative with respect to beta2AR internalization and compared its properties with those of beta-arrestin and beta-arrestin-V53D, a previously reported dominant-negative mutant. In vitro studies demonstrated that beta-arrestin-V53D bound better to clathrin than beta-arrestin but was significantly impaired in its interaction with phosphorylated G protein-coupled receptors. In contrast, whereas beta-arrestin (319-418) also bound well to clathrin it completely lacked receptor binding activity. When coexpressed with the beta2AR in HEK293 cells, beta-arrestin (319-418) effectively inhibited agonist-promoted receptor internalization, whereas beta-arrestin-V53D was only modestly effective. However, both constructs significantly inhibited the stimulation of beta2AR internalization by beta-arrestin in COS-1 cells. Interestingly, immunofluorescence microscopy analysis reveals that both beta-arrestin (319-418) and beta-arrestin-V53D are constitutively localized in clathrin-coated pits in COS-1 cells. These results indicate the potential usefulness of beta-arrestin (319-418) to effectively block arrestin-clathrin interaction in cells and suggest that this construct may prove useful in further defining the mechanisms involved in G protein-coupled receptor trafficking.

Beta-arrestin acts as a clathrin adaptor in endocytosis of the beta2-adrenergic receptor.

The ability of a system to regulate its responsiveness in the presence of a continuous stimulus, often termed desensitization, has been extensively characterized for the beta2-adrenergic receptor (beta2AR). beta2AR signalling is rapidly attenuated through receptor phosphorylation and subsequent binding of the protein beta-arrestin. Ultimately the receptor undergoes internalization, and although the molecular mechanism is unclear, receptor phosphorylation and beta-arrestin binding have been implicated in this processs. Here we report that beta-arrestin and arrestin-3, but not visual arrestin, promote beta2AR internalization and bind with high affinity directly and stoichiometrically to clathrin, the major structural protein of coated pits. Moreover, beta-arrestin/arrestin chimaeras that are defective in either beta2AR or clathrin binding show a reduced ability to promote beta2AR endocytosis. Immunofluorescence microscopy of intact cells indicates an agonist-dependent colocalization of the beta2AR and beta-arrestin with clathrin. These results show that beta-arrestin functions as an adaptor in the receptor-mediated endocytosis pathway, and suggest a general mechanism for regulating the trafficking of G-protein-coupled receptors.

A functional phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-trisphosphate/phosphoinositide binding domain in the clathrin adaptor AP-2 alpha subunit. Implications for the endocytic pathway.

Clathrin-coated pits are sites of concentration of ligand-bound signaling receptors. Several such receptors are known to recruit, bind, and activate the heterodimeric phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase, resulting in the generation of phosphatidylinositol 3,4, 5-trisphosphate. We report here that dioctanoyl-phosphatidylinositol-3,4,5-P3 binds specifically and saturably to soluble AP-2 and with greater affinity to AP-2 within assembled coat structures. Soluble -myo-inositol hexakisphosphate shows converse behavior. Binding to bovine brain clathrin-coated vesicles is evident only after detergent extraction. These observations and evidence for recognition of the diacylglyceryl backbone as well as the inositol phosphate headgroup are consistent with AP-2 interaction with membrane phosphoinositides in coated vesicles and with soluble inositol phosphates in cytoplasm. A discrete binding domain is identified near the N terminus of the AP-2 alpha subunit, and an expressed fusion protein containing this sequence exhibits specific, high affinity binding that is virtually identical to the parent protein. This region of the AP-2 alpha sequence also shows the greatest conservation between a Caenorhabditis elegans homolog and mammalian alpha, consistent with a function in recognition of an evolutionarily unchanging low molecular weight ligand. Binding of phosphatidylinositol 3,4, 5-trisphosphate to AP-2 inhibits the protein's clathrin binding and assembly activities. These findings are discussed in the context of the potential roles of phosphoinositides and AP-2 in the internalization and trafficking of cell surface receptors.

Thrombin stimulates wortmannin-inhibitable phosphoinositide 3-kinase and membrane blebbing in CHRF-288 cells.

We have investigated thrombin-stimulated morphological changes and the activation of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI 3-K), as manifested by the accumulation of PtdIns(3,4)P2 and PtdIns(3,4,5)P3 (labelled with 32P or myo-[3H]inositol), in CHRF-288 cells, a leukaemic cell line derived from a platelet progenitor cell. We report that these cells, when exposed to thrombin or SFLLRN (the peptide Ser-Phe-Leu-Leu-Arg-Asn, a thrombin-receptor ligand) rapidly change shape, forming membrane 'blebs', detectable by differential interference contrast or confocal microscopy, as well as labelled 3-phosphorylated phosphoinositides. The 'blebs' are distinguishable from 'ruffles' or lamellae, since they do not contain phalloidin-detectable actin. Studies with permeabilized cells indicate that PI 3-K is activated synergistically by thrombin+guanosine 5'[gamma-thio]triphosphate. Two forms of PI 3-K, i.e. PI 3-K(gamma) and p85/PI 3-K, regulated by G beta gamma subunits of heterotrimeric G-protein and the small G-protein Rho, respectively, are present in these cells, as is true for platelets. Wortmannin, a known potent and specific inhibitor of PI 3-K activities, inhibits thrombin-stiumlated accumulation of 3-phosphorylated phosphoinositides in a dose-dependent manner (IC50 approximately 10nM), without affecting phospholipase C activation. Pretreatment of CHRF-288 cells with either wortmannin (100 nM) or an unrelated synthetic PI 3-K inhibitor, LY294002 (50 microM), abolishes thrombin-receptor-stimulated blebbing. These results suggest that thrombin-stimulated accumulation of 3-phosphorylated phosphoinositide(s) is required for the shape-change response in CHRF-288 cells.

Endocytosis of activated receptors and clathrin-coated pit formation: deciphering the chicken or egg relationship.

The fundamental mechanisms by which receptors once targeted for endocytosis are found in coated pits is an important yet unresolved question. Specifically, are activated receptors simply trapped on encountering preexisting coated pits, subsequently being rapidly internalized? Or do the receptors themselves, by active recruitment, gather soluble coat and cytosolic components and initiate the rapid assembly of new coated pits that then mediate their internalization? To explore this question, we studied the relationship between activation of IgE-bound high affinity Fc receptors (FCepsilonRI) and coated pit formation. Because these receptors are rapidly internalized via clathrin-coated pits only when cross-linked by the binding of multivalent antigens, we were able to separate activation from internalization by using an immobilized antigen. The FCepsilonRIs, initially uniformly distributed over the cell surface. relocalized and aggregated on the antigen-exposed membrane. The process was specific for the antigen, and temperature- and time-dependent. This stimulation initiated a cascade of cellular responses typical of FCepsilonRI signaling including membrane ruffling, cytoskeletal rearrangements, and, in the presence of Ca2+, exocytosis. Despite these responses, no change in coated pit disposition or in the distribution of clathrin and assembly protein AP2 was detected, as monitored by immunoblotting and by quantitative (vertical sectioning) confocal microscopy analysis of immunofluorescently stained cells. Specifically, there was no decrease in the density of clathrin-coated pits in regions of the cell membrane not in contact with the antigen, and there was no apparent increase in clathrin-coated pits in proximity to stimulated FCepsilonRI receptors as would have been expected if the receptors were inducing formation of new pits by active recruitment. These results indicate that de novo formation of clathrin-coated pits is not a prerequisite for rapid internalization or a direct response to stimulation of FCepsilonRI receptors. Therefore, increases in coated pits reported to occur in response to activation of some signaling receptors must be consequences of the signal transduction processes, rather than strictly serving the purpose of the internalization of the receptors.