High affinity single-chain variable fragments are specific and versatile targeting motifs for extracellular vesicles.

Exosomes are extracellular vesicles that mediate cell-to-cell communication by transferring biological cargo, such as DNA, RNA and proteins. Through genetic engineering of exosome-producing cells or manipulation of purified exosomes, it is possible to load exosomes with therapeutic molecules and target them to specific cells via the display of targeting moieties on their surface. This provides an opportunity to exploit a naturally-occurring biological process for therapeutic purposes. In this study, we explored the potential of single chain variable fragments (scFv) as targeting domains to achieve delivery of exosomes to cells expressing a cognate antigen. We generated exosomes targeting the Her2 receptor and, by varying the affinity of the scFvs and the Her2 expression level on recipient cells, we determined that both a high-affinity anti-Her2-scFv (KD≤ 1 nM) and cells expressing a high level (≥106 copies per cell) of Her2 were optimally required to enable selective uptake. We also demonstrate that targeting exosomes to cells via a specific cell surface receptor can alter their intracellular trafficking route, providing opportunities to influence the efficiency of delivery and fate of intracellular cargo. These experiments provide solid data to support the wider application of exosomes displaying antibody fragments as vehicles for the targeted delivery of therapeutic molecules.

Rabs and GAPs in starvation-induced autophagy.

Formation of autophagosomes requires vesicular trafficking from virtually every subcellular compartment to the formation site. This traffic must be tightly regulated but also adaptable as different membrane compartments will contribute varying amounts of membrane, lipids and proteins to the forming autophagosome depending on the stimulus. In mammalian cells, efforts to understand how autophagosomes form have been focused on the role of Rab proteins in autophagy. Rab proteins provide specificity through their interaction with coat proteins, vesicle tethers and SNAREs. Recent data emerging from these studies have defined a subset of Rab proteins and their regulators, the RabGAPS (GTPase activating proteins) in both autophagosome formation and maturation. This review will focus on the role of a set of RabGAPs shown to regulate autophagy, in particular TBC1D14, and its interactors, RAB11 and TRAPPIII. Through our studies on TBC1D14, we have gained an understanding of the contribution of membrane from the recycling endosome, and the role of TRAPPIII in maintaining ATG (Autophagy protein) 9 trafficking in autophagosome formation.

The Dual Role of Exosomes in Hepatitis A and C Virus Transmission and Viral Immune Activation.

Exosomes are small nanovesicles of about 100 nm in diameter that act as intercellular messengers because they can shuttle RNA, proteins and lipids between different cells. Many studies have found that exosomes also play various roles in viral pathogenesis. Hepatitis A virus (HAV; a picornavirus) and Hepatitis C virus (HCV; a flavivirus) two single strand plus-sense RNA viruses, in particular, have been found to use exosomes for viral transmission thus evading antibody-mediated immune responses. Paradoxically, both viral exosomes can also be detected by plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) leading to innate immune activation and type I interferon production. This article will review recent findings regarding these two viruses and outline how exosomes are involved in their transmission and immune sensing.

Virion-independent transfer of replication-competent hepatitis C virus RNA between permissive cells.

In this study, we show that replication-competent subgenomic hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA can be transferred to permissive Huh7 cells, leading to the establishment of viral RNA replication. Further, we show that these events are mediated by exosomes rather than infectious virus particles. If similar events occur in vivo, this could represent a novel, albeit inefficient, mechanism of viral spread and immune escape.

Recycling endosomes contribute to autophagosome formation.

Autophagosome formation is a complex cellular process, which requires major membrane rearrangements leading to the creation of a relatively large double-membrane vesicle that directs its contents to the lysosome for degradation. Although various membrane compartments have been identified as sources for autophagosomal membranes, the molecular mechanism underlying these membrane trafficking steps remains elusive. To address this question we performed a systematic analysis testing all known Tre-2/Bub2/Cdc16 (TBC) domain-containing proteins for their ability to inhibit autophagosome formation by disrupting a specific membrane trafficking step. TBC proteins are thought to act as inhibitors of Rab GTPases, which regulate membrane trafficking events. Up to 11 TBC proteins inhibit autophagy when overexpressed and one of these, TBC1D14, acts at an early stage during autophagosome formation and is involved in regulating recycling endosomal traffic. We found that the early acting autophagy proteins ATG9 and ULK1 localize to transferrin receptor (TFR)-positive recycling endosomes (RE), which are tubulated by excess TBC1D14 leading to an inhibition of autophagosome formation. Finally, transferrin (TF)-containing recycling endosomal membranes can be incorporated into newly forming autophagosomes, although it is likely that most of the autophagosome membrane is subsequently acquired from other sources.

TBC1D14 regulates autophagosome formation via Rab11- and ULK1-positive recycling endosomes.

Autophagy is a bulk degradation process characterized by the formation of double membrane vesicles called autophagosomes. The exact molecular mechanism of autophagosome formation and the origin of the autophagosomal membrane remain unclear. We screened 38 human Tre-2/Bub2/Cdc16 domain-containing Rab guanosine triphosphatase-activating proteins (GAPs) and identified 11 negative regulators of starvation-induced autophagy. One of these putative RabGAPs, TBC1D14, colocalizes and interacts with the autophagy kinase ULK1. Overexpressed TBC1D14 tubulates ULK1-positive recycling endosomes (REs), impairing their function and inhibiting autophagosome formation. TBC1D14 binds activated Rab11 but is not a GAP for Rab11, and loss of Rab11 prevents TBC1D14-induced tubulation of REs. Furthermore, Rab11 is required for autophagosome formation. ULK1 and Atg9 are found on Rab11- and transferrin (Tfn) receptor (TfnR)-positive recycling endosomes. Amino acid starvation causes TBC1D14 to relocalize from REs to the Golgi complex, whereas TfnR and Tfn localize to forming autophagosomes, which are ULK1 and LC3 positive. Thus, TBC1D14- and Rab11-dependent vesicular transport from REs contributes to and regulates starvation-induced autophagy.

Trafficking and signaling in mammalian autophagy.

Macroautophagy, here called autophagy, is literally a "self-eating" catabolic process, which is evolutionarily conserved. Autophagy is initiated by cellular stress pathways, resulting in the sequestration or engulfment of cytosolic proteins, membranes, and organelles in a double membrane structure that fuses with endosomes and lysosomes, thus delivering the sequestered material for degradation. Autophagy is implicated in a number of human diseases, many of which can either be characterized by an imbalance in protein, organelle, or cellular homeostasis, ultimately resulting in an alteration of the autophagic response. Here, we will review the recent progress made in understanding the induction of autophagy, with emphasis on the contributions from our laboratory.

Kinase-inactivated ULK proteins inhibit autophagy via their conserved C-terminal domains using an Atg13-independent mechanism.

The yeast Atg1 serine/threonine protein kinase and its mammalian homologs ULK1 and ULK2 play critical roles during the activation of autophagy. Previous studies have demonstrated that the conserved C-terminal domain (CTD) of ULK1 controls the regulatory function and localization of the protein. Here, we explored the role of kinase activity and intramolecular interactions to further understand ULK function. We demonstrate that the dominant-negative activity of kinase-dead mutants requires a 7-residue motif within the CTD. Our data lead to a model in which the functions of ULK1 and ULK2 are controlled by autophosphorylation and conformational changes involving exposure of the CTD. Additional mapping indicates that the CTD contains other distinct regions that direct membrane association and interaction with the putative human homologue of Atg13, which we have here characterized. Atg13 is required for autophagy and Atg9 trafficking during autophagy. However, Atg13 does not bind the 7-residue dominant-negative motif in the CTD of ULK proteins nor is the inhibitory activity of the CTDs rescued by Atg13 ectopic expression, suggesting that in mammalian cells, the CTD may interact with additional autophagy proteins.

Assembly and trafficking of caveolar domains in the cell: caveolae as stable, cargo-triggered, vesicular transporters.

Using total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy (TIR-FM), fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP), and other light microscopy techniques, we analyzed the dynamics, the activation, and the assembly of caveolae labeled with fluorescently tagged caveolin-1 (Cav1). We found that when activated by simian virus 40 (SV40), a non-enveloped DNA virus that uses caveolae for cell entry, the fraction of mobile caveolae was dramatically enhanced both in the plasma membrane (PM) and in the caveosome, an intracellular organelle that functions as an intermediate station in caveolar endocytosis. Activation also resulted in increased microtubule (MT)-dependent, long-range movement of caveolar vesicles. We generated heterokaryons that contained GFP- and RFP-tagged caveolae by fusing cells expressing Cav1-GFP and -RFP, respectively, and showed that even when activated, individual caveolar domains underwent little exchange of Cav1. Only when the cells were subjected to transient cholesterol depletion, did the caveolae domain exchange Cav1. Thus, in contrast to clathrin-, or other types of coated transport vesicles, caveolae constitute stable, cholesterol-dependent membrane domains that can serve as fixed containers through vesicle traffic. Finally, we identified the Golgi complex as the site where newly assembled caveolar domains appeared first.