Choreographing the motor-driven endosomal dance

KIF1C activates and extends dynein movement through the FHF cargo adapter

Cellular cargos move bidirectionally on microtubules by recruiting opposite polarity motors dynein and kinesin. These motors show codependence, where one requires the activity of the other, although the mechanism is unknown. Here we show that kinesin-3 KIF1C acts as both an activator and a processivity factor for dynein, using in vitro reconstitutions of human proteins. Activation requires only a fragment of the KIF1C nonmotor stalk binding the cargo adapter HOOK3. The interaction site is separate from the constitutive factors FTS and FHIP, which link HOOK3 to small G-proteins on cargos. We provide a structural model for the autoinhibited FTS-HOOK3-FHIP1B (an FHF complex) and explain how KIF1C relieves it. Collectively, we explain codependency by revealing how mutual activation of dynein and kinesin occurs through their shared adapter. Many adapters bind both dynein and kinesins, suggesting this mechanism could be generalized to other bidirectional complexes.

Acidic pH of early endosomes governs SARS-CoV-2 transport in host cells

Endocytosis is a prominent mechanism for SARS-CoV-2 entry into host cells. Upon internalization into early endosomes (EEs), the virus is transported to late endosomes (LEs), where acidic conditions facilitate spike protein processing and viral genome release. Dynein and kinesin motors drive EE transport along microtubules; dynein moves EEs to the perinuclear region, while kinesins direct them towards the plasma membrane, creating a tug-of-war over the direction of transport. Here, we identify that the luminal pH of EEs is a key factor regulating the outcome of this tug-of-war. Among the known endosomal pH regulators, only the sodium-proton exchanger NHE9 has so far been genetically linked to severe COVID-19 risk. NHE9 functions as a proton leak pathway specifically on endosomes. We show that limiting acidification of EEs by increasing the expression of NHE9 leads to decreased infectivity of the SARS-CoV-2 spike-bearing virus in host cells. Our investigation identified the EE membrane lipid phosphatidylinositol-3-phosphate (PI3P) as a link between luminal pH changes and EE transport. Normally, as EEs mature, PI3P depletes. However, in cells with high NHE9 expression, PI3P persists longer on EEs. PI3P plays a pivotal role in the recruitment of motor proteins and the subsequent movement of EEs. Consistently, we observed that NHE9-mediated alkalization of EEs hindered perinuclear movement. Specifically, EE speed and run length were negatively impacted, ultimately leading to EEs falling off microtubules and impairing the delivery of viral cargo to LEs. NHE9 thus offers a unique opportunity as a viable therapeutic target to impede SARS-CoV-2 host cell entry.

Systems mapping of bidirectional endosomal transport through the crowded cell

Kinesin and dynein-dynactin motors move endosomes and other vesicles bidirectionally along microtubules, a process mainly studied under in vitro conditions. Here, we provide a physiological bidirectional transport model following color-coded, endogenously tagged transport-related proteins as they move through a crowded cellular environment. Late endosomes (LEs) surf bidirectionally on Protrudin-enriched endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane contact sites, while hopping and gliding along microtubules and bypassing cellular obstacles, such as mitochondria. During bidirectional transport, late endosomes do not switch between opposing Rab7 GTPase effectors, RILP and FYCO1, or their associated dynein and KIF5B motor proteins, respectively. In the endogenous setting, far fewer motors associate with endosomal membranes relative to effectors, implying coordination of transport with other aspects of endosome physiology through GTPase-regulated mechanisms. We find that directionality of transport is provided in part by various microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs), including MID1, EB1, and CEP169, which recruit Lis1-activated dynein motors to microtubule plus ends for transport of early and late endosomal populations. At these microtubule plus ends, activated dynein motors encounter the dynactin subunit p150glued and become competent for endosomal capture and minus-end movement in collaboration with membrane-associated Rab7-RILP. We show that endosomes surf over the ER through the crowded cell and move bidirectionally under the control of MAPs for motor activation and through motor replacement and capture by endosomal anchors.

Assembly and fission of tubular carriers mediating protein sorting in endosomes

Endosomes are central protein-sorting stations at the crossroads of numerous membrane trafficking pathways in all eukaryotes. They have a key role in protein homeostasis and cellular signalling and are involved in the pathogenesis of numerous diseases. Endosome-associated protein assemblies or coats collect transmembrane cargo proteins and concentrate them into retrieval domains. These domains can extend into tubular carriers, which then pinch off from the endosomal membrane and deliver the cargoes to appropriate subcellular compartments. Here we discuss novel insights into the structure of a number of tubular membrane coats that mediate the recruitment of cargoes into these carriers, focusing on sorting nexin-based coats such as Retromer, Commander and ESCPE-1. We summarize current and emerging views of how selective tubular endosomal carriers form and detach from endosomes by fission, highlighting structural aspects, conceptual challenges and open questions.

Septin-coated microtubules promote maturation of multivesicular bodies by inhibiting their motility

The microtubule cytoskeleton consists of microtubule subsets with distinct compositions of microtubule-associated proteins, which instruct the position and traffic of subcellular organelles. In the endocytic pathway, these microtubule-associated cues are poorly understood. Here, we report that in MDCK cells, endosomes with multivesicular body (MVB) and late endosome (LE) markers localize preferentially to microtubules coated with septin GTPases. Compared with early endosomes, CD63-containing MVBs/LEs are largely immotile on septin-coated microtubules. In vitro reconstitution assays revealed that the motility of isolated GFP-CD63 endosomes is directly inhibited by microtubule-associated septins. Quantification of CD63-positive endosomes containing the early endosome antigen (EEA1), the Rab7 effector and dynein adaptor RILP or Rab27a, showed that intermediary EEA1- and RILP-positive GFP-CD63 preferentially associate with septin-coated microtubules. Septin knockdown enhanced GFP-CD63 motility and decreased the percentage of CD63-positive MVBs/LEs with lysobiphosphatidic acid without impacting the fraction of EEA1-positive CD63. These results suggest that MVB maturation involves immobilization on septin-coated microtubules, which may facilitate multivesiculation and/or organelle-organelle contacts.

Cancer on motors: How kinesins drive prostate cancer progression?

Prostate cancer causes numerous male deaths annually. Although great progress has been made in the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer during the past several decades, much about this disease remains unknown, especially its pathobiology. The kinesin superfamily is a pivotal group of motor proteins, that contains a microtubule-based motor domain and features an adenosine triphosphatase activity and motility characteristics. Large-scale sequencing analyses based on clinical samples and animal models have shown that several members of the kinesin family are dysregulated in prostate cancer. Abnormal expression of kinesins could be linked to uncontrolled cell growth, inhibited apoptosis and increased metastasis ability. Additionally, kinesins may be implicated in chemotherapy resistance and escape immunologic cytotoxicity, which creates a barrier to cancer treatment. Here we cover the recent advances in understanding how kinesins may drive prostate cancer progression and how targeting their function may be a therapeutic strategy. A better understanding of kinesins in prostate cancer tumorigenesis may be pivotal for improving disease outcomes in prostate cancer patients.

Motor proteins, spermatogenesis and testis function

The role of motor proteins in supporting intracellular transports of vesicles and organelles in mammalian cells has been known for decades. On the other hand, the function of motor proteins that support spermatogenesis is also well established since the deletion of motor protein genes leads to subfertility and/or infertility. Furthermore, mutations and genetic variations of motor protein genes affect fertility in men, but also a wide range of developmental defects in humans including multiple organs besides the testis. In this review, we seek to provide a summary of microtubule and actin-dependent motor proteins based on earlier and recent findings in the field. Since these two cytoskeletons are polarized structures, different motor proteins are being used to transport cargoes to different ends of these cytoskeletons. However, their involvement in germ cell transport across the blood-testis barrier (BTB) and the epithelium of the seminiferous tubules remains relatively unknown. It is based on recent findings in the field, we have provided a hypothetical model by which motor proteins are being used to support germ cell transport across the BTB and the seminiferous epithelium during the epithelial cycle of spermatogenesis. In our discussion, we have highlighted the areas of research that deserve attention to bridge the gap of research in relating the function of motor proteins to spermatogenesis.

Passive diffusion accounts for the majority of intracellular nanovesicle transport

During membrane trafficking, a vesicle formed at the donor compartment must travel to the acceptor membrane before fusing. For large carriers, it is established that this transport is motor-driven; however, the mode by which small vesicles, which outnumber larger carriers, are transported is poorly characterized. Here, we show that intracellular nanovesicles (INVs), a substantial class of small vesicles, are highly mobile within cells and that this mobility depends almost entirely on passive diffusion (0.1-0.3 μm2 s-1). Using single particle tracking, we describe how other small trafficking vesicles have a similar diffusive mode of transport that contrasts with the motor-dependent movement of larger endolysosomal carriers. We also demonstrate that a subset of INVs is involved in exocytosis and that delivery of cargo to the plasma membrane during exocytosis is decreased when diffusion of INVs is specifically restricted. Our results suggest that passive diffusion is sufficient to explain the majority of small vesicle transport.

Visualizing the dynamics of plant energy organelles

Plant organelles predominantly rely on the actin cytoskeleton and the myosin motors for long-distance trafficking, while using microtubules and the kinesin motors mostly for short-range movement. The distribution and motility of organelles in the plant cell are fundamentally important to robust plant growth and defense. Chloroplasts, mitochondria, and peroxisomes are essential organelles in plants that function independently and coordinately during energy metabolism and other key metabolic processes. In response to developmental and environmental stimuli, these energy organelles modulate their metabolism, morphology, abundance, distribution and motility in the cell to meet the need of the plant. Consistent with their metabolic links in processes like photorespiration and fatty acid mobilization is the frequently observed inter-organellar physical interaction, sometimes through organelle membranous protrusions. The development of various organelle-specific fluorescent protein tags has allowed the simultaneous visualization of organelle movement in living plant cells by confocal microscopy. These energy organelles display an array of morphology and movement patterns and redistribute within the cell in response to changes such as varying light conditions, temperature fluctuations, ROS-inducible treatments, and during pollen tube development and immune response, independently or in association with one another. Although there are more reports on the mechanism of chloroplast movement than that of peroxisomes and mitochondria, our knowledge of how and why these three energy organelles move and distribute in the plant cell is still scarce at the functional and mechanistic level. It is critical to identify factors that control organelle motility coupled with plant growth, development, and stress response.

HEATR5B associates with dynein-dynactin and promotes motility of AP1-bound endosomal membranes

The microtubule motor dynein mediates polarised trafficking of a wide variety of organelles, vesicles and macromolecules. These functions are dependent on the dynactin complex, which helps recruit cargoes to dynein's tail and activates motor movement. How the dynein-dynactin complex orchestrates trafficking of diverse cargoes is unclear. Here, we identify HEATR5B, an interactor of the adaptor protein-1 (AP1) clathrin adaptor complex, as a novel player in dynein-dynactin function. HEATR5B was recovered in a biochemical screen for proteins whose association with the dynein tail is augmented by dynactin. We show that HEATR5B binds directly to the dynein tail and dynactin and stimulates motility of AP1-associated endosomal membranes in human cells. We also demonstrate that the Drosophila HEATR5B homologue is an essential gene that selectively promotes dynein-based transport of AP1-bound membranes to the Golgi apparatus. As HEATR5B lacks the coiled-coil architecture typical of dynein adaptors, our data point to a non-canonical process orchestrating motor function on a specific cargo. We additionally show that HEATR5B promotes association of AP1 with endosomal membranes independently of dynein. Thus, HEATR5B co-ordinates multiple events in AP1-based trafficking.

dTtc1, a conserved tetratricopeptide repeat protein, is required for maturation of Drosophila egg chambers via its role in stabilizing electron transport chain components

We recently identified the Drosophila ortholog of TTC1 (dTtc1) as an interacting partner of Egalitarian, an RNA adaptor of the Dynein motor. In order to better understand the function of this relatively uncharacterized protein, we depleted dTtc1 in the Drosophila female germline. Depletion of dTtc1 resulted in defective oogenesis and no mature eggs were produced. A closer examination revealed that mRNA cargoes normally transported by Dynein were relatively unaffected. However, mitochondria in dTtc1 depleted egg chambers displayed an extremely swollen phenotype. Ultrastructural analysis revealed a lack of cristae. These phenotypes were not observed upon disruption of Dynein. Thus, this function of dTtc1 is likely to be Dynein independent. Consistent with a role for dTtc1 in mitochondrial biology, a published proteomics screen revealed that dTtc1 interacts with numerous components of electron transport chain (ETC) complexes. Our results indicate that the expression level of several of these ETC components was significantly reduced upon depletion of dTtc1. Importantly, this phenotype was completely rescued upon expression of wild-type GFP-dTtc1 in the depleted background. Lastly, we demonstrate that the mitochondrial phenotype caused by a lack of dTtc1 is not restricted to the germline but is also observed in somatic tissues. Our model suggests that dTtc1, likely in combination with cytoplasmic chaperones, is required for stabilizing ETC components.

Elucidation of the Cellular Interactome of African Swine Fever Virus Fusion Proteins and Identification of Potential Therapeutic Targets

African swine fever virus (ASFV) encodes more than 150 proteins, most of them of unknown function. We used a high-throughput proteomic analysis to elucidate the interactome of four ASFV proteins, which potentially mediate a critical step of the infection cycle, the fusion and endosomal exit of the virions. Using affinity purification and mass spectrometry, we were able to identify potential interacting partners for those ASFV proteins P34, E199L, MGF360-15R and E248R. Representative molecular pathways for these proteins were intracellular and Golgi vesicle transport, endoplasmic reticulum organization, lipid biosynthesis, and cholesterol metabolism. Rab geranyl geranylation emerged as a significant hit, and also Rab proteins, which are crucial regulators of the endocytic pathway and interactors of both p34 and E199L. Rab proteins co-ordinate a tight regulation of the endocytic pathway that is necessary for ASFV infection. Moreover, several interactors were proteins involved in the molecular exchange at ER membrane contacts. These ASFV fusion proteins shared interacting partners, suggesting potential common functions. Membrane trafficking and lipid metabolism were important categories, as we found significant interactions with several enzymes of the lipid metabolism. These targets were confirmed using specific inhibitors with antiviral effect in cell lines and macrophages.