Atherosclerotic plaque formation is fueled by the persistence of lipid-laden macrophages in the artery wall. The mechanisms by which these cells become trapped, thereby establishing chronic inflammation, remain unknown. Netrin-1, a neuroimmune guidance cue, was secreted by macrophages in human and mouse atheroma, where it inactivated macrophage migration to chemokines implicated in their egress from plaques. Acting via its receptor UNC5b, netrin-1 inhibited CCL2- and CCL19-directed macrophage migration, Rac1 activation and actin polymerization. Targeted deletion of netrin-1 in macrophagesseverely diminished atherosclerosis progression in Ldlr−/− mice and promoted macrophage emigration from plaques. Thus, netrin-1 promotes atherosclerosis by retaining macrophages in the artery wall and establish a causative role for negative regulators of leukocyte migration in chronic inflammation.

Four mammalian golgins are specifically targeted to the trans-Golgi network (TGN) membranes via their C-terminal GRIP domains. The TGN golgins, p230/golgin-245 and golgin-97, are recruited via the GTPase Arl1, whereas the TGN golgin GCC185 is recruited independently of Arl1. Here we show that GCC185 is localized to a region of the TGN distinct from Arl1 and plays an essential role in maintaining the organization of the Golgi apparatus. Using both small interfering RNA (siRNA) and microRNA (miRNA), we show that depletion of GCC185 in HeLa cells frequently resulted in fragmentation of the Golgi apparatus. Golgi apparatus fragments were dispersed throughout the cytoplasm and contained both cis and trans markers. Trafficking of anterograde and retrograde cargo was analysed over an extended period following GCC185 depletion. Early effects of GCC185 depletion included a perturbation in the distribution of the mannose-6-phosphate receptor and a block in shiga toxin trafficking to the Golgi apparatus, which occurred in parallel with the fragmentation of the Golgi ribbon. Internalized shiga toxin accumulated in Rab11-positive endosomes, indicating GCC185 is essential for transport between the recycling endosome and the TGN. In contrast, the plasma membrane-TGN recycling protein TGN38 was efficiently transported into GCC185-depleted Golgi apparatus fragments throughout a 96-h period, and anterograde transport of E-cadherin was functional until a late stage of GCC185 depletion. This study demonstrated (i) a more effective long-term depletion of GCC185 using miRNA than siRNA and (ii) a dual role for the GCC185 golgin in the regulation of endosome-to-TGN membrane transport and in the organization of the Golgi apparatus.

The adaptor protein-1 (AP-1) complex is involved in membrane transport between the Golgi apparatus and endosomes. In the protozoan parasite Leishmania mexicana mexicana, the AP-1 1 and 1 subunits are not required for growth at 27°C but are essential for infectivity in the mammalian host. In this study, we have investigated the function of these AP-1 subunits in order to understand the molecular basis for this loss of virulence. The 1 and 1 subunits were localized to late Golgi and endosome membranes of the major parasite stages. Parasite mutants lacking either AP-1 subunit lacked obvious defects in Golgi structure, endocytosis, or exocytic transport. However, these mutants displayed reduced rates of endosome-to-lysosome transport and accumulated fragmented, sterol-rich lysosomes. Defects in flagellum biogenesis were also evident in nondividing promastigote stages, and this phenotype was exacerbated by inhibitors of sterol and sphingolipid biosynthesis. Furthermore, both AP-1 mutants were hypersensitive to elevated temperature and perturbations in membrane lipid composition. The pleiotropic requirements for AP-1 in membrane trafficking and temperature stress responses explain the loss of virulence of these mutants in the mammalian host.

Retrograde transport pathways from early/recycling endosomes to the trans-Golgi network (TGN) are poorly defined. We have investigated the role of TGN golgins in retrograde trafficking. Of the four TGN golgins, p230/golgin-245, golgin-97, GCC185, and GCC88, we show that GCC88 defines a retrograde transport pathway from early endosomes to the TGN. Depletion of GCC88 in HeLa cells by interference RNA resulted in a block in plasma membrane-TGN recycling of two cargo proteins, TGN38 and a CD8 mannose-6-phosphate receptor cytoplasmic tail fusion protein. In GCC88-depleted cells, cargo recycling was blocked in the early endosome. Depletion of GCC88 dramatically altered the TGN localization of the t-SNARE syntaxin 6, a syntaxin required for endosome to TGN transport. Furthermore, the transport block in GCC88-depleted cells was rescued by syntaxin 6 overexpression. Internalized Shiga toxin was efficiently transported from endosomes to the Golgi of GCC88-depleted cells, indicating that Shiga toxin and TGN38 are internalized by distinct retrograde transport pathways. These findings have identified an essential role for GCC88 in the localization of TGN fusion machinery for transport from early endosomes to the TGN, and they have allowed the identification of a retrograde pathway which differentially selects TGN38 and mannose-6-phosphate receptor from Shiga toxin.