ORCID ID: 0000-0003-4154-9967 (S.Y.).The adaptor protein-2 (AP-2) complex is a heterotetramer involved in clathrin-mediated endocytosis of cargo proteins from the plasma membrane in animal cells. The homologous genes of AP-2 subunits are present in the genomes of plants; however, their identities and roles in endocytic pathways are not clearly defined in plants. Here, we reveal the molecular composition of the AP-2 complex of Arabidopsis thaliana and its dynamics on the plasma membrane. We identified all of the a-, b-, s-, and m-subunits of the AP-2 complex and detected a weak interaction of the AP-2 complex with clathrin heavy chain. The m-subunit protein fused to green fluorescent protein (AP2M-GFP) was localized to the plasma membrane and to the cytoplasm. Live-cell imaging using a variable-angle epifluorescence microscope revealed that AP2M-GFP transiently forms punctate structures on the plasma membrane. Homozygous ap2m mutant plants exhibited abnormal floral structures, including reduced stamen elongation and delayed anther dehiscence, which led to a failure of pollination and a subsequent reduction of fertility. Our study provides a molecular basis for understanding AP-2-dependent endocytic pathways in plants and their roles in floral organ development and plant reproduction.

Formation of clathrin-coated vesicles (CCVs) requires the scaffolding adaptor protein (AP) complexes, which are conserved across all eukaryotes. The Arabidopsis genome encodes five AP complexes (AP-1 to AP-5), and each complex consists of four subunits. In this study, we characterized the poorly defined AP-1 complex by using genetics, proteomics and live cell imaging. We showed that the AP-1 µ adaptin subunit (AP1M2) was localized to the trans-Golgi network (TGN) and interacted physically with the AP-1 subunits in Arabidopsis. During treatment with brefeldin A (BFA), the functional fluorophore-tagged AP1M2 relocated to the BFA compartment. The AP1M2 loss-of-function mutant ap1m2 displayed deleterious growth defects, which were particularly evident in the compromised cytokinesis that was revealed by the presence of cell wall stubs in multinucleate cells. Immunolocalization of the cytokinesis-specific syntaxin KNOLLE (KN) in ap1m2 showed that KN was mislocalized and aggregated around the division plane, while a secretory marker targeting to the cell plate remained unaffected. Taken together, we propose that the AP-1 complex is required for cell plate-targeted trafficking of KN in dividing plant cells, and that it has a common role in mediating plant and yeast/animal cytokinesis systems which are fundamentally different.

Adaptor protein (AP) complexes play critical roles in protein sorting among different post-Golgi pathways by recognizing specific cargo protein motifs. Among the five AP complexes (AP-1-AP-5) in plants, AP-4 is one of the most poorly understood; the AP-4 components, AP-4 cargo motifs, and AP-4 functional mechanism are not known. Here, we identify the AP-4 components and show that the AP-4 complex regulates receptor-mediated vacuolar protein sorting by recognizing VACUOLAR SORTING RECEPTOR1 (VSR1), which was originally identified as a sorting receptor for seed storage proteins to target protein storage vacuoles in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). From the vacuolar sorting mutant library GREEN FLUORESCENT SEED (GFS), we isolated three gfs mutants that accumulate abnormally high levels of VSR1 in seeds and designated them as gfs4, gfs5, and gfs6. Their responsible genes encode three (AP4B, AP4M, and AP4S) of the four subunits of the AP-4 complex, respectively, and an Arabidopsis mutant (ap4e) lacking the fourth subunit, AP4E, also had the same phenotype. Mass spectrometry demonstrated that these four proteins form a complex in vivo. The four mutants showed defects in the vacuolar sorting of the major storage protein 12S globulins, indicating a role for the AP-4 complex in vacuolar protein transport. AP4M bound to the tyrosine-based motif of VSR1. AP4M localized at the trans-Golgi network (TGN) subdomain that is distinct from the AP-1-localized TGN subdomain. This study provides a novel function for the AP-4 complex in VSR1-mediated vacuolar protein sorting at the specialized domain of the TGN.