scholarly journals Stochastic activation and bistability in a Rab GTPase regulatory network

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Urban Bezeljak ◽  
Hrushikesh Loya ◽  
Beata Kaczmarek ◽  
Timothy E. Saunders ◽  
Martin Loose

AbstractRab GTPases are the central regulators of intracellular traffic. Their function relies on a conformational change triggered by nucleotide exchange and hydrolysis. While this switch is well understood for an individual protein, how Rab GTPases collectively transition between states to generate a biochemical signal in space and time is unclear. Here, we combine in vitro reconstitution experiments with theoretical modeling to study a minimal Rab5 activation network. We find that positive feedback in this network gives rise to bistable switching of Rab5 activation and provide evidence that controlling the inactive population of Rab5 on the membrane can shape the network response. Together, our findings reveal new insights into the non-equilibrium properties and general principles of biochemical signaling networks underlying the spatiotemporal organization of the cell.

2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (12) ◽  
pp. 6540-6549
Author(s):  
Urban Bezeljak ◽  
Hrushikesh Loya ◽  
Beata Kaczmarek ◽  
Timothy E. Saunders ◽  
Martin Loose

The eukaryotic endomembrane system is controlled by small GTPases of the Rab family, which are activated at defined times and locations in a switch-like manner. While this switch is well understood for an individual protein, how regulatory networks produce intracellular activity patterns is currently not known. Here, we combine in vitro reconstitution experiments with computational modeling to study a minimal Rab5 activation network. We find that the molecular interactions in this system give rise to a positive feedback and bistable collective switching of Rab5. Furthermore, we find that switching near the critical point is intrinsically stochastic and provide evidence that controlling the inactive population of Rab5 on the membrane can shape the network response. Notably, we demonstrate that collective switching can spread on the membrane surface as a traveling wave of Rab5 activation. Together, our findings reveal how biochemical signaling networks control vesicle trafficking pathways and how their nonequilibrium properties define the spatiotemporal organization of the cell.


2021 ◽  
Vol 220 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann-Christin Borchers ◽  
Lars Langemeyer ◽  
Christian Ungermann

The eukaryotic endomembrane system consists of multiple interconnected organelles. Rab GTPases are organelle-specific markers that give identity to these membranes by recruiting transport and trafficking proteins. During transport processes or along organelle maturation, one Rab is replaced by another, a process termed Rab cascade, which requires at its center a Rab-specific guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF). The endolysosomal system serves here as a prime example for a Rab cascade. Along with endosomal maturation, the endosomal Rab5 recruits and activates the Rab7-specific GEF Mon1-Ccz1, resulting in Rab7 activation on endosomes and subsequent fusion of endosomes with lysosomes. In this review, we focus on the current idea of Mon1-Ccz1 recruitment and activation in the endolysosomal and autophagic pathway. We compare identified principles to other GTPase cascades on endomembranes, highlight the importance of regulation, and evaluate in this context the strength and relevance of recent developments in in vitro analyses to understand the underlying foundation of organelle biogenesis and maturation.


2010 ◽  
Vol 21 (13) ◽  
pp. 2285-2296 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laëtitia Chotard ◽  
Ashwini K. Mishra ◽  
Marc-André Sylvain ◽  
Simon Tuck ◽  
David G. Lambright ◽  
...  

During endosome maturation the early endosomal Rab5 GTPase is replaced with the late endosomal Rab7 GTPase. It has been proposed that active Rab5 can recruit and activate Rab7, which in turn could inactivate and remove Rab5. However, many of the Rab5 and Rab7 regulators that mediate endosome maturation are not known. Here, we identify Caenorhabditis elegans TBC-2, a conserved putative Rab GTPase-activating protein (GAP), as a regulator of endosome to lysosome trafficking in several tissues. We show that tbc-2 mutant animals accumulate enormous RAB-7–positive late endosomes in the intestine containing refractile material. RAB-5, RAB-7, and components of the homotypic fusion and vacuole protein sorting (HOPS) complex, a RAB-7 effector/putative guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF), are required for the tbc-2(−) intestinal phenotype. Expression of activated RAB-5 Q78L in the intestine phenocopies the tbc-2(−) large late endosome phenotype in a RAB-7 and HOPS complex-dependent manner. TBC-2 requires the catalytic arginine-finger for function in vivo and displays the strongest GAP activity on RAB-5 in vitro. However, TBC-2 colocalizes primarily with RAB-7 on late endosomes and requires RAB-7 for membrane localization. Our data suggest that TBC-2 functions on late endosomes to inactivate RAB-5 during endosome maturation.


2011 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 230-244 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marion Weber-Boyvat ◽  
Nina Aro ◽  
Konstantin G. Chernov ◽  
Tuula Nyman ◽  
Jussi Jäntti

The Sec1/Munc18 protein family members perform an essential, albeit poorly understood, function in association with soluble n-ethylmaleimide sensitive factor adaptor protein receptor (SNARE) complexes in membrane fusion. The Saccharomyces cerevisiae Sec1p has a C-terminal tail that is missing in its mammalian homologues. Here we show that deletion of the Sec1p tail (amino acids 658–724) renders cells temperature sensitive for growth, reduces sporulation efficiency, causes a secretion defect, and abolishes Sec1p-SNARE component coimmunoprecipitation. The results show that the Sec1p tail binds preferentially ternary Sso1p-Sec9p-Snc2p complexes and it enhances ternary SNARE complex formation in vitro. The bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) assay results suggest that, in the SNARE-deficient sso2–1 Δsso1 cells, Mso1p, a Sec1p binding protein, helps to target Sec1p(1–657) lacking the C-terminal tail to the sites of secretion. The results suggest that the Mso1p C terminus is important for Sec1p(1–657) targeting. We show that, in addition to Sec1p, Mso1p can bind the Rab-GTPase Sec4p in vitro. The BiFC results suggest that Mso1p acts in close association with Sec4p on intracellular membranes in the bud. This association depends on the Sec4p guanine nucleotide exchange factor Sec2p. Our results reveal a novel binding mode between the Sec1p C-terminal tail and the SNARE complex, and suggest a role for Mso1p as an effector of Sec4p.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 729
Author(s):  
Asuka Nanbo

Herpesvirus egress mechanisms are strongly associated with intracellular compartment remodeling processes. Previously, we and other groups have described that intracellular compartments derived from the Golgi apparatus are the maturation sites of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) virions. However, the mechanism by which these virions are released from the host cell to the extracellular milieu is poorly understood. Here, I adapted two independent induction systems of the EBV lytic cycle in vitro, in the context of Rab GTPase silencing, to characterize the EBV release pathway. Immunofluorescence staining revealed that p350/220, the major EBV glycoprotein, partially co-localized with three Rab GTPases: Rab8a, Rab10, and Rab11a. Furthermore, the knockdown of these Rab GTPases promoted the intracellular accumulation of viral structural proteins by inhibiting its distribution to the plasma membrane. Finally, the knockdown of the Rab8a, Rab10, and Rab11a proteins suppressed the release of EBV infectious virions. Taken together, these findings support the hypothesis that mature EBV virions are released from infected cells to the extracellular milieu via the secretory pathway, as well as providing new insights into the EBV life cycle.


2016 ◽  
Vol 27 (16) ◽  
pp. 2590-2597 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Zick ◽  
William Wickner

In vitro reconstitution of homotypic yeast vacuole fusion from purified components enables detailed study of membrane fusion mechanisms. Current reconstitutions have yet to faithfully replicate the fusion process in at least three respects: 1) The density of SNARE proteins required for fusion in vitro is substantially higher than on the organelle. 2) Substantial lysis accompanies reconstituted fusion. 3) The Rab GTPase Ypt7 is essential in vivo but often dispensable in vitro. Here we report that changes in fatty acyl chain composition dramatically lower the density of SNAREs that are required for fusion. By providing more physiological lipids with a lower phase transition temperature, we achieved efficient fusion with SNARE concentrations as low as on the native organelle. Although fused proteoliposomes became unstable at elevated SNARE concentrations, releasing their content after fusion had occurred, reconstituted proteoliposomes with substantially reduced SNARE concentrations fused without concomitant lysis. The Rab GTPase Ypt7 is essential on both membranes for proteoliposome fusion to occur at these SNARE concentrations. Strikingly, it was only critical for Ypt7 to be GTP loaded on membranes bearing the R-SNARE Nyv1, whereas the bound nucleotide of Ypt7 was irrelevant on membranes bearing the Q-SNAREs Vam3 and Vti1.


2012 ◽  
Vol 40 (6) ◽  
pp. 1373-1377 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzanne R. Pfeffer

Rab GTPases are master regulators of membrane traffic. By binding to distinct sets of effector proteins, Rabs catalyse the formation of function-specifying membrane microdomains. They are delivered to membranes by a protein named GDI (guanine-nucleotide-dissociation inhibitor) and are stabilized there after nucleotide exchange by effector binding. In the present mini-review, I discuss what we know about how Rab GTPases are delivered to the correct membrane-bound compartments and how Rab GTPase cascades order Rabs within the secretory and endocytic pathways. Finally, I describe how Rab cascades may establish the distinct compartments of the Golgi complex to permit ordered processing, sorting and secretion of secretory cargoes.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuxiao Wang ◽  
Walter Huynh ◽  
Taylor D. Skokan ◽  
Ronald D. Vale

AbstractCytoplasmic dynein is a microtubule minus-end-directed motor that transports numerous intracellular cargoes. Mammalian dynein transport is initiated by coiled-coil adaptor proteins that 1) join dynein and its co-factor dynactin into a complex capable of processive motility, and 2) interact with a cargo-bound receptor, which is frequently a Rab GTPase on an organelle. Here, we report two novel dynein adaptors, CRACR2a and Rab45, which have a coiled-coil adaptor domain, a pair of EF hands, and a Rab GTPase domain fused into a single polypeptide. We find that CRACR2a-mediated dynein-dynactin motility is activated by calcium in vitro and in cells. In activated T cells, CRACR2a localizes to clathrin-independent endosomes that require microtubule-based transport to detach from the actin cortex and travel towards the microtubule organizing center. Together these results represent the first known examples of Rab GTPases that directly act as dynein adaptors and implicate CRACR2a-dynein in regulation of endocytic trafficking in T cells.


2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (6) ◽  
pp. 712-715 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzanne R. Pfeffer

Several of the most important discoveries in the field of membrane traffic have come from studies of Rab GTPases by Marino Zerial and Peter Novick and their colleagues. Zerial was the first to discover that Rab GTPases represent identity markers for different membrane-bound compartments, and each Rab organizes a collection of specific effectors into function-specifying membrane microdomains to carry out receptor trafficking. Novick discovered that the order (and thus polarity) of Rab GTPases along the secretory and endocytic pathways are established by their specific, cognate guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) and GTPase-activating proteins (GAPs), which partner with one Rab to regulate the subsequent- and prior-acting Rabs. Such so-called Rab cascades have evolved to establish domains that contain unique Rab proteins and their cognate effectors, which drive all steps of membrane trafficking. These findings deserve much broader recognition by the biomedical research community and are highlighted here, along with open questions that require serious attention for full understanding of the molecular basis of Rab GTPase-regulated membrane trafficking in eukaryotic cells.


eLife ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lars Langemeyer ◽  
Ricardo Nunes Bastos ◽  
Yiying Cai ◽  
Aymelt Itzen ◽  
Karin M Reinisch ◽  
...  

Ras superfamily GTPase activation and inactivation occur by canonical nucleotide exchange and GTP hydrolysis mechanisms. Despite conservation of active-site residues, the Ras-related Rab GTPase activation pathway differs from Ras and between different Rabs. Analysis of DENND1-Rab35, Rabex-Rab5, TRAPP-Rab1 and DrrA-Rab1 suggests Rabs have the potential for activation by distinct GDP-release pathways. Conserved active-site residues in the Rab switch II region stabilising the nucleotide-free form differentiate these pathways. For DENND1-Rab35 and DrrA-Rab1 the Rab active-site glutamine, often mutated to create constitutively active forms, is involved in GEF mediated GDP-release. By contrast, in Rab5 the switch II aspartate is required for Rabex mediated GDP-release. Furthermore, Rab1 switch II glutamine mutants refractory to activation by DrrA can be activated by TRAPP, showing that a single Rab can be activated by more than one mechanistically distinct GDP-release pathway. These findings highlight plasticity in the activation mechanisms of closely related Rab GTPases.


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