Clathrin functions in the absence of the terminal domain binding site for adaptor-associated clathrin-box motifs

Inhibition Clathrin Mediated Endocytosis: Pitstop 1 and Pitstop 2 Chimeras

Twenty-five chimera compounds of Pitstop 1 and 2 were synthesised and screened for their ability to block the clathrin terminal domain-amphiphysin protein-protein interaction (NTD-PPI using an ELISA) and clathrin mediated endocytosis (CME) in cells. Library 1 was based on Pitstop 2, but no notable clathrin PPI or in-cell activity was observed. With the Pitstop 1, 16 analogues were produced with 1,8-naphthalic imide core as a foundation. Analogues with methylene spaced linkers and simple amides showed a modest to good range of PPI inhibition (7.6-42.5 μM, naphthyl 39 and 4-nitrophenyl 40 respectively) activity. These data reveal the importance of the naphthalene sulfonate moiety, with no des-SO3 analogue displaying PPI inhibition. This was consistent with the observed analogue docked poses within the clathrin terminal domain Site 1 binding pocket. Further modifications targeted the naphthalene imide moiety, with the installation of 5-Br (45 a), 5-OH (45 c) and 5-propyl ether (45 d) moieties. Among them, the OH 45 c and propyl ether 45 d retained PPI inhibition, with propyl ether 45 d being the most active with a PPI inhibition IC50=7.3 μM. This is 2x more potent than Pitstop 2 and 3x more potent than Pitstop 1.

The Chemical Inhibitors of Endocytosis: From Mechanisms to Potential Clinical Applications

Endocytosis is one of the major ways cells communicate with their environment. This process is frequently hijacked by pathogens. Endocytosis also participates in the oncogenic transformation. Here, we review the approaches to inhibit endocytosis, discuss chemical inhibitors of this process, and discuss potential clinical applications of the endocytosis inhibitors.

Role of Clathrin and Dynamin in Clathrin Mediated Endocytosis/Synaptic Vesicle Recycling and Implications in Neurological Diseases

Endocytosis is a process essential to the health and well-being of cell. It is required for the internalisation and sorting of “cargo”—the macromolecules, proteins, receptors and lipids of cell signalling. Clathrin mediated endocytosis (CME) is one of the key processes required for cellular well-being and signalling pathway activation. CME is key role to the recycling of synaptic vesicles [synaptic vesicle recycling (SVR)] in the brain, it is pivotal to signalling across synapses enabling intracellular communication in the sensory and nervous systems. In this review we provide an overview of the general process of CME with a particular focus on two key proteins: clathrin and dynamin that have a central role to play in ensuing successful completion of CME. We examine these two proteins as they are the two endocytotic proteins for which small molecule inhibitors, often of known mechanism of action, have been identified. Inhibition of CME offers the potential to develop therapeutic interventions into conditions involving defects in CME. This review will discuss the roles and the current scope of inhibitors of clathrin and dynamin, providing an insight into how further developments could affect neurological disease treatments.

Atg27p co-fractionates with clathrin-coated vesicles in budding yeast

Atg27p, a single-pass transmembrane protein that functions in autophagy, localizes to a variety of cellular compartments including the pre-autophagosomal structure, late Golgi, vacuolar membrane, as well as early and late endosomes. Its cytoplasmic C-terminus contains a tyrosine sorting motif that allows for its transport to the vacuolar membrane and an additional sequence that allows for its retrieval from the vacuolar membrane to the endosome. Since clathrin is well known to mediate vesicular transport in the endomembrane system, the trafficking of Atg27p and its tyrosine sorting motif suggested that it might be trafficked inside clathrin-coated vesicles (CCVs). In our previous studies, Atg27p was identified by mass spectrometry as a potential component in CCVs, as it was present in CCVs isolated from both WT and auxilin-depleted cells. We now confirm that Atg27p is a component of CCVs using immunoblotting and additional mass spectrometry data.

Wbox2: A clathrin terminal domain-derived peptide inhibitor of clathrin-mediated endocytosis

Clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME) occurs via the formation of clathrin-coated vesicles from clathrin-coated pits (CCPs). Clathrin is recruited to CCPs through interactions between the AP2 complex and its N-terminal domain, which in turn recruits endocytic accessory proteins. Inhibitors of CME that interfere with clathrin function have been described, but their specificity and mechanisms of action are unclear. Here we show that overexpression of the N-terminal domain with (TDD) or without (TD) the distal leg inhibits CME and CCP dynamics by perturbing clathrin interactions with AP2 and SNX9. TDD overexpression does not affect clathrin-independent endocytosis or, surprisingly, AP1-dependent lysosomal trafficking from the Golgi. We designed small membrane–permeant peptides that encode key functional residues within the four known binding sites on the TD. One peptide, Wbox2, encoding residues along the W-box motif binding surface, binds to SNX9 and AP2 and potently and acutely inhibits CME.

Evolving models for assembling and shaping clathrin-coated pits

Clathrin-mediated endocytosis occurs via the assembly of clathrin-coated pits (CCPs) that invaginate and pinch off to form clathrin-coated vesicles (CCVs). It is well known that adaptor protein 2 (AP2) complexes trigger clathrin assembly on the plasma membrane, and biochemical and structural studies have revealed the nature of these interactions. Numerous endocytic accessory proteins collaborate with clathrin and AP2 to drive CCV formation. However, many questions remain as to the molecular events involved in CCP initiation, stabilization, and curvature generation. Indeed, a plethora of recent evidence derived from cell perturbation, correlative light and EM tomography, live-cell imaging, modeling, and high-resolution structural analyses has revealed more complexity and promiscuity in the protein interactions driving CCP maturation than anticipated. After briefly reviewing the evidence supporting prevailing models, we integrate these new lines of evidence to develop a more dynamic and flexible model for how redundant, dynamic, and competing protein interactions can drive endocytic CCV formation and suggest new approaches to test emerging models.

The protein architecture of the endocytic coat analyzed by FRET microscopy

Endocytosis is a fundamental cellular trafficking pathway, which requires an organized assembly of the multiprotein endocytic coat to pull the plasma membrane into the cell. Although the protein composition of the endocytic coat is known, its functional architecture is not well understood. Here, we determine the nanoscale organization of the endocytic coat by FRET microscopy in yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We assessed pairwise proximities of 18 conserved coat-associated proteins and used clathrin subunits and protein truncations as molecular rulers to obtain a high-resolution protein map of the coat. Furthermore, we followed rearrangements of coat proteins during membrane invagination and their binding dynamics at the endocytic site. We show that the endocytic coat proteins are not confined inside the clathrin lattice, but form distinct functional layers above and below the lattice. Importantly, key endocytic proteins transverse the clathrin lattice deeply into the cytoplasm connecting thus the membrane and cytoplasmic parts of the coat. We propose that this design enables an efficient and regulated function of the endocytic coat during endocytic vesicle formation.

A simple and inexpensive quantitative technique for determining chemical sensitivity in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Chemical sensitivity, growth inhibition in response to a chemical, is a powerful phenotype that can reveal insight into diverse cellular processes. Chemical sensitivity assays are used in nearly every model system, however the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae provides a particularly powerful platform for discovery and mechanistic insight from chemical sensitivity assays. Here we describe a simple and inexpensive approach to determine chemical sensitivity quantitatively in yeast in the form of half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) using common laboratory equipment. We demonstrate the utility of this method using chemicals commonly used to monitor changes in membrane traffic. When compared to traditional agar-based plating methods, this method is more sensitive and can detect defects not apparent using other protocols. Additionally, this method reduces the experimental protocol from five days to 18 hours for the toxic amino acid canavanine. Furthermore, this method provides reliable results using lower amounts of chemicals. Finally, this method is easily adapted to additional chemicals as demonstrated with an engineered system that activates the spindle assembly checkpoint in response to rapamycin with differing efficiencies. This approach provides researchers with a cost-effective method to perform chemical genetic profiling without specialized equipment.

The Sla1 adaptor-clathrin interaction regulates coat formation and progression of endocytosis

Clathrin-mediated endocytosis is a fundamental transport pathway that depends on numerous protein-protein interactions. Testing the importance of the adaptor protein-clathrin interaction for coat formation and progression of endocytosis in vivo has been difficult due to experimental constrains. Here, we addressed this question using the yeast clathrin adaptor Sla1, which is unique in showing a cargo endocytosis defect upon substitution of 3 amino acids in its clathrin-binding motif (sla1^AAA ) that disrupt clathrin binding. Live-cell imaging showed an impaired Sla1-clathrin interaction causes reduced clathrin levels but increased Sla1 levels at endocytic sites. Moreover, the rate of Sla1 recruitment was reduced indicating proper dynamics of both clathrin and Sla1 depend on their interaction. sla1^AAA cells showed a delay in progression through the various stages of endocytosis. The Arp2/3-dependent actin polymerization machinery was present for significantly longer time before actin polymerization ensued, revealing a link between coat formation and activation of actin polymerization. Ultimately, in sla1^AAA cells a larger than normal actin network was formed, dramatically higher levels of various machinery proteins other than clathrin were recruited, and the membrane profile of endocytic invaginations was longer. Thus, the Sla1-clathrin interaction is important for coat formation, regulation of endocytic progression and membrane bending.

Weak Molecular Interactions in Clathrin-Mediated Endocytosis

Clathrin-mediated endocytosis is a process by which specific molecules are internalized from the cell periphery for delivery to early endosomes. The key stages in this step-wise process, from the starting point of cargo recognition, to the later stage of assembly of the clathrin coat, are dependent on weak interactions between a large network of proteins. This review discusses the structural and functional data that have improved our knowledge and understanding of the main weak molecular interactions implicated in clathrin-mediated endocytosis, with a particular focus on the two key proteins: AP2 and clathrin.

Utilizing clathrin triskelions as carriers for spatially controlled multi-protein display

The simultaneous and spatially controlled display of different proteins on nanocarriers is a desirable property not often achieved in practice. Here, we report the use of clathrin triskelions as a versatile platform for functional protein display. We hypothesized that site-specific molecular epitope recognition would allow for effective and ordered protein attachment to clathrin triskelions. Clathrin binding peptides (CBPs) were genetically fused to mCherry and green fluorescent protein (GFP), expressed, and loaded onto clathrin triskelions by site-specific binding. Attachment was confirmed by surface plasmon resonance. mCherry fusion proteins modified with various CBPs displayed binding affinities between 470 nM and 287 μM for the clathrin triskelions. Simultaneous attachment of GFP-Wbox and mCherry-Cbox fusion constructs to the clathrin terminal domain was verified by Förster resonance energy transfer. The circulating half-lives, area under the curve, and the terminal half-lives of GFP and mCherry were significantly increased when attached to clathrin triskelions. Clathrin triskelion technology is useful for the development of versatile and multifunctional carriers for spatially controlled protein or peptide display with tremendous potential in nanotechnology, drug delivery, vaccine development, and targeted therapeutic applications.

Creating a chimeric clathrin heavy chain that functions independently of yeast clathrin light chain

Clathrin facilitates vesicle formation during endocytosis and sorting in the trans-Golgi network (TGN)/endosomal system. Unlike in mammals, yeast clathrin function requires both the clathrin heavy (CHC) and clathrin light (CLC) chain, since Chc1 does not form stable trimers without Clc1. To further delineate clathrin subunit functions, we constructed a chimeric CHC protein (Chc-YR) , which fused the N-terminus of yeast CHC (1-1312) to the rat CHC residues 1318-1675, including the CHC trimerization region. The novel CHC-YR allele encoded a stable protein that fractionated as a trimer. CHC-YR also complemented chc1Δ slow growth and clathrin TGN/endosomal sorting defects. In strains depleted for Clc1 (either clc1Δ or chc1Δ clc1Δ), CHC-YR, but not CHC1, suppressed TGN/endosomal sorting and growth phenotypes. Chc-YR-GFP (green fluorescent protein) localized to the TGN and cortical patches on the plasma membrane, like Chc1 and Clc1. However, Clc1-GFP was primarily cytoplasmic in chc1Δ cells harboring pCHC-YR, indicating that Chc-YR does not bind yeast CLC. Still, some partial phenotypes persisted in cells with Chc-YR, which are likely due either to loss of CLC recruitment or chimeric HC lattice instability. Ultimately, these studies have created a tool to examine non-trimerization roles for the clathrin LC.

Clathrin binding by the adaptor Ent5 promotes late stages of clathrin coat maturation

Clathrin adaptors link cargo to the clathrin coat. The clathrin adaptor Ent5 is also required for the maturation of clathrin coats at the trans-Golgi network or endosome, suggesting that it plays a key mechanistic role in coat formation. This function requires only the Ent5 clathrin-binding sites and not its interaction with other endosomal adaptors.

Clathrin is a ubiquitous protein that mediates membrane traffic at many locations. To function, clathrin requires clathrin adaptors that link it to transmembrane protein cargo. In addition to this cargo selection function, many adaptors also play mechanistic roles in the formation of the transport carrier. However, the full spectrum of these mechanistic roles is poorly understood. Here we report that Ent5, an endosomal clathrin adaptor in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, regulates the behavior of clathrin coats after the recruitment of clathrin. We show that loss of Ent5 disrupts clathrin-dependent traffic and prolongs the lifespan of endosomal structures that contain clathrin and other adaptors, suggesting a defect in coat maturation at a late stage. We find that the direct binding of Ent5 with clathrin is required for its role in coat behavior and cargo traffic. Surprisingly, the interaction of Ent5 with other adaptors is dispensable for coat behavior but not cargo traffic. These findings support a model in which Ent5 clathrin binding performs a mechanistic role in coat maturation, whereas Ent5 adaptor binding promotes cargo incorporation.

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Structural Mapping Reveals Promiscuous Interactions between Clathrin-Box Motif Sequences and the N-Terminal Domain of the Clathrin Heavy Chain

The recruitment and organization of clathrin at endocytic sites first to form coated pits and then clathrin-coated vesicles depend on interactions between the clathrin N-terminal domain (TD) and multiple clathrin binding sequences on the cargo adaptor and accessory proteins that are concentrated at such sites. Up to four distinct protein binding sites have been proposed to be present on the clathrin TD, with each site proposed to interact with a distinct clathrin binding motif. However, an understanding of how such interactions contribute to clathrin coat assembly must take into account observations that any three of these four sites on clathrin TD can be mutationally ablated without causing loss of clathrin-mediated endocytosis. To take an unbiased approach to mapping binding sites for clathrin-box motifs on clathrin TD, we used isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Our ITC experiments revealed that a canonical clathrin-box motif peptide from the AP-2 adaptor binds to clathrin TD with a stoichiometry of 3:1. Assignment of 90% of the total visible amide resonances in the TROSY-HSQC spectrum of ¹³C-, ²H-, and ¹⁵N-labeled TD40 allowed us to map these three binding sites by analyzing the chemical shift changes as clathrin-box motif peptides were titrated into clathrin TD. We found that three different clathrin-box motif peptides can each simultaneously bind not only to the previously characterized clathrin-box site but also to the W-box site and the β-arrestin splice loop site on a single TD. The promiscuity of these binding sites can help explain why their mutation does not lead to larger effects on clathrin function and suggests a mechanism by which clathrin may be transferred between different proteins during the course of an endocytic event.

Activation of the Rab7 GTPase by the MON1-CCZ1 Complex Is Essential for PVC-to-Vacuole Trafficking and Plant Growth in Arabidopsis

Rab GTPases serve as multifaceted organizers during vesicle trafficking. Rab7, a member of the Rab GTPase family, has been shown to perform various essential functions in endosome trafficking and in endosome-to-lysosome trafficking in mammalian systems. The Arabidopsis thaliana genome encodes eight putative Rab7 homologs; however, the detailed function and activation mechanism of Rab7 in plants remain unknown. Here, we demonstrate that Arabidopsis RABG3f, a member of the plant Rab7 small GTPase family, localizes to prevacuolar compartments (PVCs) and the tonoplast. The proper activation of Rab7 is essential for both PVC-to-vacuole trafficking and vacuole biogenesis. Expression of a dominant-negative Rab7 mutant (RABG3f^T22N) induces the formation of enlarged PVCs and affects vacuole morphology in plant cells. We also identify Arabidopsis MON1 (MONENSIN SENSITIVITY1) and CCZ1 (CALCIUM CAFFEINE ZINC SENSITIVITY1) proteins as a dimeric complex that functions as the Rab7 guanine nucleotide exchange factor. The MON1-CCZ1 complex also serves as the Rab5 effector to mediate Rab5-to-Rab7 conversion on PVCs. Loss of functional MON1 causes the formation of enlarged Rab5-positive PVCs that are separated from Rab7-positive endosomes. Similar to the dominant-negative Rab7 mutant, the mon1 mutants show pleiotropic growth defects, fragmented vacuoles, and altered vacuolar trafficking. Thus, Rab7 activation by the MON1-CCZ1 complex is critical for vacuolar trafficking, vacuole biogenesis, and plant growth.

Non-specificity of Pitstop 2 in clathrin-mediated endocytosis

Small molecule inhibitors of clathrin-mediated endocytosis are highly desired for the dissection of membrane trafficking pathways in the lab and for potential use as anti-infectives in the clinic. One inhibition strategy is to prevent clathrin from contacting adaptor proteins so that clathrin-mediated endocytosis cannot occur. “Pitstop” compounds have been developed that block only one of the four functional interaction sites on the N-terminal domain of clathrin heavy chain. Despite this limitation, Pitstop 2 causes profound inhibition of clathrin-mediated endocytosis. In this study, we probed for non-specific activity of Pitstop 2 by examining its action in cells expressing clathrin heavy chain harbouring mutations in the N-terminal domain interaction sites. We conclude that the inhibition observed with this compound is due to non-specificity, i.e. it causes inhibition away from its proposed mode of action. We recommend that these compounds be used with caution in cells and that they should not be used to conclude anything of the function of clathrin's N-terminal domain.

Getting in touch with the clathrin terminal domain

The N-terminal domain (TD) of the clathrin heavy chain is folded into a seven-bladed β-propeller that projects inward from the polyhedral outer clathrin coat. As the most membrane-proximal portion of assembled clathrin, the TD is a major protein-protein interaction node. Contact with the TD β-propeller occurs through short peptide sequences typically located within intrinsically disordered segments of coat components that usually are elements of the membrane-apposed, inner 'adaptor' coat layer. A huge variation in TD-binding motifs is known and now four spatially discrete interaction surfaces upon the β-propeller have been delineated. An important operational feature of the TD interaction sites in vivo is functional redundancy. The recent discovery that 'pitstop' chemical inhibitors apparently occupy only one of the four TD interaction surfaces, but potently block clathrin-mediated endocytosis, warrants careful consideration of the underlying molecular basis for this inhibition.

Functional analysis of interaction sites on the N-terminal domain of clathrin heavy chain

In clathrin-mediated membrane traffic, clathrin does not bind directly to cargo and instead binds to adaptors that mediate this function. For endocytosis, the main adaptor is the adaptor protein (AP)-2 complex, but it is uncertain how clathrin contacts AP-2. Here we tested in human cells the importance of the three binding sites that have been identified so far on the N-terminal domain (NTD) of clathrin. We find that mutation of each of the three sites on the NTD, alone or in combination, does not block clathrin/AP-2-mediated endocytosis in the same way as deletion of the NTD. We report here the fourth and final site on the NTD that is required for clathrin/AP-2-mediated endocytic function. Each of the four interaction sites can operate alone to mediate endocytosis. The observed functional redundancy between interaction sites on the NTD explains how productivity of clathrin-coated vesicle formation is ensured.

Lessons from yeast for clathrin-mediated endocytosis

Clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME) is the major pathway for internalization of membrane proteins from the cell surface. Half a century of studies have uncovered tremendous insights into how a clathrin-coated vesicle is formed. More recently, the advent of live-cell imaging has provided a dynamic view of this process. As CME is highly conserved from yeast to humans, budding yeast provides an evolutionary template for this process and has been a valuable system for dissecting the underlying molecular mechanisms. In this review we trace the formation of a clathrin-coated vesicle from initiation to uncoating, focusing on key findings from the yeast system.