EEA1 is an early endosomal Rab5 effector protein that has been implicated in the docking of incoming endocytic vesicles before fusion with early endosomes. Because of the presence of complex endosomal pathways in polarized and nonpolarized cells, we have examined the distribution of EEA1 in diverse cell types. Ultrastructural analysis demonstrates that EEA1 is present on a subdomain of the early sorting endosome but not on clathrin-coated vesicles, consistent with a role in providing directionality to early endosomal fusion. Furthermore, EEA1 is associated with filamentous material that extends from the cytoplasmic surface of the endosomal domain, which is also consistent with a tethering/docking role for EEA1. In polarized cells (Madin-Darby canine kidney cells and hippocampal neurons), EEA1 is present on a subset of "basolateral-type" endosomal compartments, suggesting that EEA1 regulates specific endocytic pathways. In both epithelial cells and fibroblastic cells, EEA1 and a transfected apical endosomal marker, endotubin, label distinct endosomal populations. Hence, there are at least two distinct sets of early endosomes in polarized and nonpolarized mammalian cells. EEA1 could provide specificity and directionality to fusion events occurring in a subset of these endosomes in polarized and nonpolarized cells. INTRODUCTIONAnimal cells are continuously internalizing proteins and lipids of their plasma membrane via endocytosis. The internalized surface components enter a complex and dynamic membrane system, the early endosome, which plays a vital role in sorting endocytosed proteins to different destinations in the cell (Gruenberg and Maxfield, 1995). It is now clear that the early endosome comprises at least two functionally distinct compartments or subdomains (Ghosh et al., 1994;Ghosh and Maxfield, 1995;Gruenberg and Maxfield, 1995;Ullrich et al., 1996;Zacchi et al., 1998). Markers first enter the early sorting endosome, a complex organelle with tubular and multivesicular domains, where membrane proteins destined for degradation are sorted away from those proteins, such as the transferrin receptor, that are recycled back to the plasma membrane. Recycling proteins can then enter a second subcompartment, termed the recycling endosome, which has a tubular morphology and in many cell types is located in the pericentriolar area of the cell (Yamashiro et al., 1984;Dunn et al., 1989;Ghosh and Maxfield, 1995). Further complexity is added to this picture by the finding that fibroblasts, generally regarded as nonpolarized cells, may contain two sets of early endosomes analogous to those in polarized cells (Wilson and Colton, 1997). In these studies, endotubin, a membrane protein of the apical early endosomal compartment in neonatal rat intestine (Wilson et al., 1987), was heterologously expressed in normal rat kidney (NRK) cells and shown to associate with an apparently unique early endosomal compartment. This compartment was distinct from transferrin-containing early endosomes and was relatively insensitive to brefeldi...

In the developing nervous system, controlled neurite extension and branching are critical for the establishment of connections between neurons and their targets. Although much is known about the regulation of axonal development, many of the molecular events that regulate axonal extension remain unknown. ADP-ribosylation factor nucleotidebinding site opener (ARNO) and ADP-ribosylation factor (ARF)6 have important roles in the regulation of the cytoskeleton as well as membrane trafficking. To investigate the role of these molecules in axonogenesis, we expressed ARNO and ARF6 in cultured rat hippocampal neurons. Expression of catalytically inactive ARNO or dominant negative ARF6 resulted in enhanced axonal extension and branching and this effect was abrogated by coexpression of constitutively active ARF6. We sought to identify the downstream effectors of ARF6 during neurite extension by coexpressing phosphatidyl-inositol-4-phosphate 5-Kinase ␣ [PI(4)P 5-Kinase ␣] with catalytically inactive ARNO and dominant negative ARF6. We found that PI(4)P 5-Kinase ␣ plays a role in neurite extension and branching downstream of ARF6. Also, expression of inactive ARNO/ARF6 depleted the actin binding protein mammalian ena (Mena) from the growth cone leading edge, indicating that these effects on axonogenesis may be mediated by changes in cytoskeletal dynamics. These results suggest that ARNO and ARF6, through PI(4)P 5-Kinase ␣, regulate axonal elongation and branching during neuronal development.

Here we analyzed the role of ARF6, a member of the ADP-ribosylation factor (ARF) family of small GTPases, in dendritic arbor development in rat hippocampal neurons in culture. Overexpression of the inactive form of the GTP exchange factor ARNO (ARF nucleotide binding site opener) or inactive ARF6 enhanced dendritic branching, whereas coexpression of either Rac1 (a member of the Rho family of small GTPases known to control dendritic dynamics and growth) or active ARF6 with inactive ARNO eliminated the enhanced branching effect. These results indicate that the ARF family of small GTPases contributes to the regulation of dendritic branching, and that ARF6 activation turns on two independent pathways that suppress dendritic branching in vivo: one through Rac1 and the other through ARF6.

Abstract.A membrane fraction enriched in apical endosomal tubules was isolated from absorptive cells of suckling rat ileum and used as an immunogen to generate anti-endosome monoclonal antibodies. By immunofluorescence, one of these antibodies bound exclusively to the region of the apical endocytic complex in ileal absorptive cells, but not to other cell types. Immunoblot analysis showed the antigen as a diffuse 55-61-kD band which was highly enriched in the endosome fraction over whole-cell homogenate. The antigen appears to be an intramembrane glycoprotein: it partitioned primarily in the detergent phase after TX-114 extraction, and shifted to 44 kD after chemical deglycosylation. EM immunocytochemistry showed that the antibody bound to the luminal side of endosomal tubule membranes, a portion of endosomal vesicle membranes, and in endocytic pits of apical plasma membranes. However, it did not bind to multivesicular bodies, the giant lysosome, or other organelles. Immunocytochemistry after uptake with adsorbed or soluble tracer proteins showed that the antigen labeled portions of both prelysosomal pathways previously described in these cells (Gonnella, P. A., and M. R. Neutra, 1984, J. Cell Biol., 99:909-917).The function of this glycoprotein is not known, but inasmuch as it has been detected only in absorptive cells of suckling rat ileum, it may serve a function specific to these cells. Nevertheless, this endosomal antigen, designated glycoprotein (gp) 55-61, will serve as a useful marker for exploring membrane dynamics in early stages of the endocytic pathway.URING endocytosis, receptors and ligands are delivered to a heterogeneous system of intracellular compartments collectively termed endosomes. Acidification of the lumen of these compartments results in dissociation of many receptor-ligand complexes, so that sorting of ligands and receptors toward different destinations may occur (for review, see refs. 1, 41, 58). Endosomal compartments in many cell types include clear vesicles with long tubular extensions (24, 39), and it is in the tubules that receptors are thought to accumulate and to be sorted according to their specific itineraries such as recycling or transepithelial transport (20). It is not known, however, whether the biochemical composition of the tubular extensions differs from that of the vesicular portion.Although endosomes have special morphologic and functional features distinct from other intracellular compartments, it is not clear to what extent endosome membranes have a unique biochemical composition and can be considered a bonafide organelle. Subcellular fractions have been obtained that are enriched in endosomal vesicles, as identified by the presence of endocytosed tracers (50, 62) or enrichment in specific ligands or receptors (14,16,29,42,44,61), and the protein composition of these fractions has been compared to that of plasma membrane and lysosomes. Some studies have provided evidence that the composition of endosome membrane differs from plasma membrane, but others have not found...

Endothelial cells (ECs) are a critical target of viruses, and infection of the endothelium represents a defining point in viral pathogenesis. Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), the prototypical betaherpesvirus, encodes proteins specialized for entry into ECs and delivery of the genome to the nuclei of ECs. Virus strains competent to enter ECs replicate with differing efficiencies, suggesting that the virus encodes genes for postentry tropism in ECs. We previously reported a specific requirement for the UL133/8 locus of HCMV for replication in ECs. The UL133/8 locus harbors four genes: UL133, UL135, UL136, and UL138. In this study, we find that while UL133 and UL138 are dispensable for replication in ECs, both UL135 and UL136 are important. These genes are not required for virus entry or the expression of viral genes. The phenotypes associated with disruption of either gene reflect phenotypes observed for the UL133/8 NULL virus, which lacks the entire UL133/8 locus, but are largely distinct from one another. Viruses lacking UL135 fail to properly envelop capsids in the cytoplasm, produce fewer dense bodies (DB) than the wild-type (WT) virus, and are unable to incorporate viral products into multivesicular bodies (MVB). Viruses lacking UL136 also fail to properly envelop virions and produce larger dense bodies than the WT virus. Our results indicate roles for the UL135 and UL136 proteins in commandeering host membrane-trafficking pathways for virus maturation. UL135 and UL136 represent the first HCMV genes crucial for early-to late-stage tropism in ECs. H uman cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a ubiquitous herpesvirus with 50 to 99% seroprevalence in the global population. Like all herpesviruses, HCMV persists for the lifetime of the host by way of latent infection (1-3). The persistence of HCMV is asymptomatic in immunocompetent individuals and is characterized by states of subclinical reactivation from latency and low-level virus shedding (1). However, in immunocompromised hosts, HCMV causes significant morbidity and mortality. Of particular concern are stem cell and solid-organ transplant patients, HIV/AIDS patients, and cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy or radiation regimens (4, 5). Additionally, HCMV is the leading cause of infectious disease-related birth defects in the United States, affecting 1 in 150 children born in the United States and most commonly resulting in mild to severe hearing loss (6). While CMV infection of seronegative women during pregnancy poses the most significant risk for severe sequelae in infants (microcephaly, cerebral palsy, and severe hearing loss or cognitive deficits), as many as 75% of congenital infections occur in infants whose mothers were seropositive at the time of conception, indicating that these infections result from reinfection or reactivation (7). Finally, the persistence of HCMV is increasingly associated with age-related pathologies, even when overt clinical symptoms are absent. Agerelated pathologies include vascular disease, immune dysfunction, and frailty (8-13)...

†These authors contributed equally to this work.Epithelial cells display distinct apical and basolateral membrane domains, and maintenance of this asymmetry is essential to the function of epithelial tissues. Polarized delivery of apical and basolateral membrane proteins from the trans Golgi network (TGN) and/or endosomes to the correct domain requires specific cytoplasmic machinery to control the sorting, budding and fission of vesicles. However, the molecular machinery that regulates polarized delivery of apical proteins remains poorly understood. In this study, we show that the small guanosine triphosphatase Rab14 is involved in the apical targeting pathway. Using yeast two-hybrid analysis and glutathione S-transferase pull down, we show that Rab14 interacts with apical membrane proteins and localizes to the TGN and apical endosomes. Overexpression of the GDP mutant form of Rab14 (S25N) induces an enlargement of the TGN and vesicle accumulation around Golgi membranes. Moreover, expression of Rab14-S25N results in mislocalization of the apical raft-associated protein vasoactive intestinal peptide/MAL to the basolateral domain but does not disrupt basolateral targeting or recycling. These data suggest that Rab14 specifically regulates delivery of cargo from the TGN to the apical domain.

Niemann-Pick type C (NPC) is an autosomal recessive disease characterized by impaired cholesterol homeostasis due to a defect in the intracellular transport of unesterified cholesterol. While accumulation of lysosomal cholesterol is the most apparent microscopic finding, cholesterol has also been shown to accumulate in the trans-cisternae of the Golgi apparatus. Caveolin-1, a cholesterol-binding protein that cycles between the Golgi apparatus and the plasma membrane, has been hypothesized to participate in cholesterol transport. Using the BALB/c murine model for NPC disease, we found that the expression of caveolin-1 in total liver homogenates from heterozygous and homozygous affected animals was altered. Immunoblot analysis of liver homogenates from heterozygous mice revealed that caveolin-1 is significantly (p < 0.005) elevated, 4.9 fold, compared to normal mice. Total liver homogenates from homozygous affected mice also had a significant (p < 0.05) increase in caveolin-1 expression, 1.6 fold, compared to normal mice. Immunohistochemical staining of liver cross-sections revealed that the increased caveolin-1 was localized to sinusoidal endothelial cells in heterozygous mice. The Triton insoluble floating fraction (TIFF) was isolated using liver from each genotype and analyzed for caveolin-1 expression. Caveolin-1 in the TIFF from heterozygous mice was significantly (p < 0.01) elevated, 1.8 fold, compared to normal and homozygous affected animals; normal and homozygous affected animals, however, were not significantly different from each other. The TIFF isolated from homozygous affected mice revealed a 15 fold increase in unesterified cholesterol compared to the TIFF isolated from heterozygous and normal mice. In summary, these findings demonstrate an altered expression of caveolin-1 in liver from heterozygous and homozygous NPC mice and increased concentration of cholesterol from TIFF in homozygous affected NPC mice. The identification of these alterations in the TIFF suggests involvement of detergent insoluble membrane structures, possibly caveolae and/or detergent insoluble glycosphingolipid-enriched complexes (DIGs), in the cholesterol trafficking defect in this disorder.

Polarized cells such as epithelial cells and neurons have distinct endosomal compartments associated with different plasma membrane domains. The endosomes of the neuronal cell body and the basolateral cytoplasm of epithelial cells are thought to perform cellular “housekeeping” functions such as the uptake of nutrients and metabolites, while the endosomes in the apical cytoplasm or axons are thought to be specialized for the sorting and transcytosis of cell type–specific ligands and receptors. However, it is not known if nonpolarized cells such as fibroblasts contain a specialized endosomal compartment analogous to the specialized endosomes found in neurons and epithelia. We have expressed a protein that is normally found in the apical early endosomes of developing intestinal epithelial cells in normal rat kidney fibroblasts. This apical endosomal marker, called endotubin, is targeted to early endosomes in transfected fibroblasts, and is present in peripheral as well as perinuclear endosomes. The peripheral endosomes that contain endotubin appear to exclude transferrin, fluid phase markers, and the mannose-6-phosphate receptor, although in the perinuclear region colocalization of endotubin and these markers is present. In addition, endotubin positive structures do not tubulate in response to brefeldin A and instead redistribute to a diffuse perinuclear location. Since this endosomal compartment has many of the characteristics of an apical or axonal endosomal compartment, our results indicate that nonpolarized cells also contain a specialized early endosomal compartment.