Insulin stimulates the translocation of the glucose transporter GLUT4 from intracellular vesicles to the plasma membrane. In the present study we have conducted a comprehensive proteomic analysis of affinity-purified GLUT4 vesicles from 3T3-L1 adipocytes to discover potential regulators of GLUT4 trafficking. In addition to previously identified components of GLUT4 storage vesicles including the insulin-regulated aminopeptidase insulin-regulated aminopeptidase and the vesicle soluble N-ethylmaleimide factor attachment protein (v-SNARE) VAMP2, we have identified three new Rab proteins, Rab10, Rab11, and Rab14, on GLUT4 vesicles. We have also found that the putative Rab GTPase-activating protein AS160 (Akt substrate of 160 kDa) is associated with GLUT4 vesicles in the basal state and dissociates in response to insulin. This association is likely to be mediated by the cytosolic tail of insulinregulated aminopeptidase, which interacted both in vitro and in vivo with AS160. Consistent with an inhibitory role of AS160 in the basal state, reduced expression of AS160 in adipocytes using short hairpin RNA increased plasma membrane levels of GLUT4 in an insulin-independent manner. These findings support an important role for AS160 in the insulin regulated trafficking of GLUT4.Glucose transport into mammalian muscle and fat cells is an important step in insulin action and is critical for the maintenance of glucose homeostasis within the body (1). In mammalian muscle and fat cells, insulin stimulation activates a phosphorylation cascade, which in turn causes intracellular vesicles that contain the glucose transporter GLUT4, 4 to translocate to the plasma membrane (PM) and fuse (2, 3). In the basal state GLUT4 is distributed between the endosomal system, the trans-Golgi network (TGN), and a GLUT4 storage vesicle (GSV) compartment that is highly insulin-responsive (4 -6).The protein kinase Akt is activated in response to insulin and plays a critical role in GLUT4 translocation (1, 7). However, the link between the insulin signaling pathway and GLUT4 translocation is not fully understood. The insulin-dependent movement of GLUT4 vesicles to the PM is an Akt-independent process, and this is followed by an Aktdependent step likely involving the docking and fusion of vesicles with the PM (7-9). The mechanism by which Akt controls the docking and fusion of GLUT4 vesicles with the PM is not known. However, it was previously shown that a Rab GTPase-activating protein (RabGAP) known as AS160 is phosphorylated by Akt in response to insulin (10). How AS160 functions in GLUT4 trafficking and its cognate Rab proteins are not known. The role of a variety of Rab proteins in GLUT4 trafficking including Rab3d, Rab4, Rab5, and Rab11 has been examined (11-16). However, although these Rab proteins may participate in some aspects of GLUT4 trafficking, no compelling evidence for specific involvement in the insulin-regulated trafficking of GLUT4 has been found.In this study we describe four key findings that add to our understanding of GLUT4 traffic...

Growth factor regulation of the cortical actin cytoskeleton is fundamental to a wide variety of cellular processes. The cortical actin-associated protein, cortactin, regulates the formation of dynamic actin networks via the actin-related protein (Arp)2/3 complex and hence is a key mediator of such responses. In order to reveal novel roles for this versatile protein, we used a proteomics-based approach to isolate cortactin-interacting proteins. This identified several proteins, including CD2-associated protein (CD2AP), as targets for the cortactin Src homology 3 domain. Co-immunoprecipitation of CD2AP with cortactin occurred at endogenous expression levels, was transiently induced by epidermal growth factor (EGF) treatment, and required the cortactin Src homology 3 domain. The CD2AP-binding site for cortactin mapped to the second of three proline-rich regions. Because CD2AP is closely related to Cbl-interacting protein of 85 kDa (CIN85), which regulates growth factor receptor down-regulation via complex formation with Cbl and endophilin, we investigated whether the CD2AP-cortactin complex performs a similar function. EGF treatment of cells led to transient association of Cbl and the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) with a constitutive CD2AP-endophilin complex. Cortactin was recruited into this complex with slightly delayed kinetics compared with Cbl and the EGFR. Immunofluorescence analysis revealed that the EGFR, CD2AP, and cortactin co-localized in regions of EGF-induced membrane ruffles. Therefore, by binding both CD2AP and the Arp2/3 complex, cortactin links receptor endocytosis to actin polymerization, which may facilitate the trafficking of internalized growth factor receptors.Subcellular compartmentalization and trafficking of signal transduction complexes and a variety of dynamic cellular responses to extracellular stimuli require regulated interactions between specific components of signaling pathways and the cytoskeleton. These interactions may be direct or mediated by particular adaptor or scaffolding proteins. Among these, cortactin was identified as a v-Src substrate associated with the cortical actin cytoskeleton approximately a decade ago, although insights into its cellular function and the underlying mechanisms have only been obtained recently (1).In line with an adaptor role, cortactin is a multidomain protein, with the individual modules capable of mediating specific protein-protein interactions (1). The N-terminal region mediates binding to the Arp 1 2/3 complex, a highly conserved regulator of the assembly and structure of actin networks (2), and contains a DDW motif characteristic of Arp2/3-interacting proteins such as WASP, Myo3p, and ActA (2, 3). This is followed by six and a half copies of a 37-amino acid repeat, with the fourth repeat necessary for binding to F-actin in vitro (2). Downstream of the repeats is a predicted helical domain and a region rich in serine, threonine, and proline residues. The latter is a target for both tyrosine and serine/threonine phosphorylation (4 -6)....