A role for exocyst in maturation and bactericidal function of staphylococci-containing endothelial cell phagosomes

VWF maturation and release are controlled by 2 regulators of Weibel-Palade body biogenesis: exocyst and BLOC-2

von Willebrand factor (VWF) is an essential hemostatic protein that is synthesized in endothelial cells and stored in Weibel-Palade bodies (WPBs). Understanding the mechanisms underlying WPB biogenesis and exocytosis could enable therapeutic modulation of endogenous VWF, yet optimal targets for modulating VWF release have not been established. Because biogenesis of lysosomal related organelle-2 (BLOC-2) functions in the biogenesis of platelet dense granules and melanosomes, which like WPBs are lysosome-related organelles, we hypothesized that BLOC-2-dependent endolysosomal trafficking is essential for WPB biogenesis and sought to identify BLOC-2-interacting proteins. Depletion of BLOC-2 caused misdirection of cargo-carrying transport tubules from endosomes, resulting in immature WPBs that lack endosomal input. Immunoprecipitation of BLOC-2 identified the exocyst complex as a binding partner. Depletion of the exocyst complex phenocopied BLOC-2 depletion, resulting in immature WPBs. Furthermore, releasates of immature WPBs from either BLOC-2 or exocyst-depleted endothelial cells lacked high-molecular weight (HMW) forms of VWF, demonstrating the importance of BLOC-2/exocyst-mediated endosomal input during VWF maturation. However, BLOC-2 and exocyst showed very different effects on VWF release. Although BLOC-2 depletion impaired exocytosis, exocyst depletion augmented WPB exocytosis, indicating that it acts as a clamp. Exposure of endothelial cells to a small molecule inhibitor of exocyst, Endosidin2, reversibly augmented secretion of mature WPBs containing HMW forms of VWF. These studies show that, although BLOC-2 and exocyst cooperate in WPB formation, only exocyst serves to clamp WPB release. Exocyst function in VWF maturation and release are separable, a feature that can be exploited to enhance VWF release.

Shigella hijacks the exocyst to cluster macropinosomes for efficient vacuolar escape

Shigella flexneri invades host cells by entering within a bacteria-containing vacuole (BCV). In order to establish its niche in the host cytosol, the bacterium ruptures its BCV. Contacts between S. flexneri BCV and infection-associated macropinosomes (IAMs) formed in situ have been reported to enhance BCV disintegration. The mechanism underlying S. flexneri vacuolar escape remains however obscure. To decipher the molecular mechanism priming the communication between the IAMs and S. flexneri BCV, we performed mass spectrometry-based analysis of the magnetically purified IAMs from S. flexneri-infected cells. While proteins involved in host recycling and exocytic pathways were significantly enriched at the IAMs, we demonstrate more precisely that the S. flexneri type III effector protein IpgD mediates the recruitment of the exocyst to the IAMs through the Rab8/Rab11 pathway. This recruitment results in IAM clustering around S. flexneri BCV. More importantly, we reveal that IAM clustering subsequently facilitates an IAM-mediated unwrapping of the ruptured vacuole membranes from S. flexneri, enabling the naked bacterium to be ready for intercellular spread via actin-based motility. Taken together, our work untangles the molecular cascade of S. flexneri-driven host trafficking subversion at IAMs to develop its cytosolic lifestyle, a crucial step en route for infection progression at cellular and tissue level.

Three subfamilies of exocyst EXO70 family subunits in land plants: early divergence and ongoing functional specialization

Localized delivery of plasma membrane and cell wall components is an essential process in all plant cells. The vesicle-tethering complex, the exocyst, an ancient eukaryotic hetero-octameric protein cellular module, assists in targeted delivery of exocytosis vesicles to specific plasma membrane domains. Analyses of Arabidopsis and later other land plant genomes led to the surprising prediction of multiple putative EXO70 exocyst subunit paralogues. All land plant EXO70 exocyst subunits (including those of Bryophytes) form three distinct subfamilies-EXO70.1, EXO70.2, and EXO70.3. Interestingly, while the basal well-conserved EXO70.1 subfamily consists of multiexon genes, the remaining two subfamilies contain mostly single exon genes. Published analyses as well as public transcriptomic and proteomic data clearly indicate that most cell types in plants express and also use several different EXO70 isoforms. Here we sum up recent advances in the characterization of the members of the family of plant EXO70 exocyst subunits and present evidence that members of the EXO70.2 subfamily are often recruited to non-canonical functions in plant membrane trafficking pathways. Engagement of the most evolutionarily dynamic EXO70.2 subfamily of EXO70s in biotic interactions and defence correlates well with massive proliferation and conservation of new protein variants in this subfamily.

Resolving the homology-function relationship through comparative genomics of membrane-trafficking machinery and parasite cell biology

With advances in DNA sequencing technology, it is increasingly common and tractable to informatically look for genes of interest in the genomic databases of parasitic organisms and infer cellular states. Assignment of a putative gene function based on homology to functionally characterized genes in other organisms, though powerful, relies on the implicit assumption of functional homology, i.e. that orthology indicates conserved function. Eukaryotes reveal a dazzling array of cellular features and structural organization, suggesting a concomitant diversity in their underlying molecular machinery. Significantly, examples of novel functions for pre-existing or new paralogues are not uncommon. Do these examples undermine the basic assumption of functional homology, especially in parasitic protists, which are often highly derived? Here we examine the extent to which functional homology exists between organisms spanning the eukaryotic lineage. By comparing membrane trafficking proteins between parasitic protists and traditional model organisms, where direct functional evidence is available, we find that function is indeed largely conserved between orthologues, albeit with significant adaptation arising from the unique biological features within each lineage.

Staphylococcus aureus recruits Cdc42GAP through recycling endosomes and the exocyst to invade human endothelial cells

Activation and invasion of the vascular endothelium by Staphylococcus aureus is a major cause of sepsis and endocarditis. For endothelial cell invasion, S. aureus triggers actin polymerization through Cdc42, N-WASp (also known as WASL) and the Arp2/3 complex to assemble a phagocytic cup-like structure. Here, we show that after stimulating actin polymerization staphylococci recruit Cdc42GAP (also known as ARHGAP1) which deactivates Cdc42 and terminates actin polymerization in the phagocytic cups. Cdc42GAP is delivered to the invading bacteria on recycling endocytic vesicles in concert with the exocyst complex. When Cdc42GAP recruitment by staphylococci was prevented by blocking recycling endocytic vesicles or the exocyst complex, or when Cdc42 was constitutively activated, phagocytic cup closure was impaired and endothelial cell invasion was inhibited. Thus, to complete invasion of the endothelium, staphylococci reorient recycling endocytic vesicles to recruit Cdc42GAP, which terminates Cdc42-induced actin polymerization in phagocytic cups. Analogous mechanisms might govern other Cdc42-dependent cell functions.

The Exocyst Complex in Health and Disease

Exocytosis involves the fusion of intracellular secretory vesicles with the plasma membrane, thereby delivering integral membrane proteins to the cell surface and releasing material into the extracellular space. Importantly, exocytosis also provides a source of lipid moieties for membrane extension. The tethering of the secretory vesicle before docking and fusion with the plasma membrane is mediated by the exocyst complex, an evolutionary conserved octameric complex of proteins. Recent findings indicate that the exocyst complex also takes part in other intra-cellular processes besides secretion. These various functions seem to converge toward defining a direction of membrane growth in a range of systems from fungi to plants and from neurons to cilia. In this review we summarize the current knowledge of exocyst function in cell polarity, signaling and cell-cell communication and discuss implications for plant and animal health and disease.