Intersectin1 promotes clathrin-mediated endocytosis by organizing and stabilizing endocytic protein interaction networks.

During clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME), dozens of proteins are recruited to nascent CME sites on the plasma membrane. Coordination of endocytic protein recruitment in time and space is important for efficient CME. Here, we show that the multivalent scaffold protein intersectin1 (ITSN1) promotes CME by organizing and stabilizing endocytic protein interaction networks. By live-cell imaging of genome-edited cells, we observed that endogenously labeled ITSN1 is recruited to CME sites shortly after they begin to assemble. Knocking down ITSN1 impaired endocytic protein recruitment during the stabilization stage of CME site assembly. Artificially locating ITSN1 to the mitochondria surface was sufficient to assemble puncta consisting of CME initiation proteins, including EPS15, FCHO, adaptor proteins, the AP2 complex and epsin1 (EPN1), and the vesicle scission GTPase dynamin2 (DNM2). ITSN1 can form puncta and recruit DNM2 independently of EPS15/FCHO or EPN1. Our work redefines ITSN1's primary endocytic role as organizing and stabilizing the CME protein interaction networks rather than a previously suggested role in initiation and provides new insights into the multi-step and multi-zone organization of CME site assembly.

A Role for Cross-linking Proteins in Actin Filament Network Organization and Force Generation.

The high turgor pressure across the plasma membrane of yeasts creates a requirement for substantial force production by actin polymerization and myosin motor activity for clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME). Endocytic internalization is severely impeded in the absence of fimbrin, an actin filament crosslinking protein called Sac6 in budding yeast. Here, we combine live-cell imaging and mathematical modeling to gain new insights into the role of actin filament crosslinking proteins in force generation. Genetic manipulation showed that CME sites with more crosslinking proteins are more effective at internalization under high load. Simulations of an experimentally constrained, agent-based mathematical model recapitulate the result that endocytic networks with more double-bound fimbrin molecules internalize the plasma membrane against elevated turgor pressure more effectively. Networks with large numbers of crosslinks also have more growing actin filament barbed ends at the plasma membrane, where the addition of new actin monomers contributes to force generation and vesicle internalization. Our results provide a richer understanding of the crucial role played by actin filament crosslinking proteins during actin network force generation, highlighting the contribution of these proteins to the self-organization of the actin filament network and force generation under increased load.

Kinetic investigation reveals an HIV-1 Nef-dependent increase in AP-2 recruitment and productivity at endocytic sites.

The HIV-1 accessory protein Nef hijacks clathrin adaptors to degrade or mislocalize host proteins involved in antiviral defenses. Here, using quantitative live-cell microscopy in genome-edited Jurkat cells, we investigate the impact of Nef on clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME), a major pathway for membrane protein internalization in mammalian cells. Nef is recruited to CME sites on the plasma membrane, and this recruitment is associated with an increase in the recruitment and lifetime of the CME coat protein AP-2 and the late-arriving CME protein dynamin2. Furthermore, we find that CME sites that recruit Nef are more likely to recruit dynamin2 and transferrin, suggesting that Nef recruitment to CME sites promotes site maturation to ensure high efficiency in host protein downregulation. Implications of these observations for HIV-1 infection are discussed.

Endocytic myosin-1 is a force-insensitive, power-generating motor.

Myosins are required for clathrin-mediated endocytosis, but their precise molecular roles in this process are not known. This is, in part, because the biophysical properties of the relevant motors have not been investigated. Myosins have diverse mechanochemical activities, ranging from powerful contractility against mechanical loads to force-sensitive anchoring. To better understand the essential molecular contribution of myosin to endocytosis, we studied the in vitro force-dependent kinetics of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae endocytic type I myosin called Myo5, a motor whose role in clathrin-mediated endocytosis has been meticulously studied in vivo. We report that Myo5 is a low-duty-ratio motor that is activated ∼10-fold by phosphorylation and that its working stroke and actin-detachment kinetics are relatively force-insensitive. Strikingly, the in vitro mechanochemistry of Myo5 is more like that of cardiac myosin than that of slow anchoring myosin-1s found on endosomal membranes. We, therefore, propose that Myo5 generates power to augment actin assembly-based forces during endocytosis in cells.

Interdependence of a microtubule polymerase and a motor protein in establishment of kinetochore end-on attachments.

Faithful segregation of chromosomes into daughter cells during mitosis requires formation of attachments between kinetochores and mitotic spindle microtubules. Chromosome alignment on the mitotic spindle, also referred to as congression, is facilitated by translocation of side-bound chromosomes along the microtubule surface, which allows the establishment of end-on attachment of kinetochores to microtubule plus ends. Spatial and temporal constraints hinder observation of these events in live cells. Therefore, we used our previously developed reconstitution assay to observe dynamics of kinetochores, the yeast kinesin-8, Kip3, and the microtubule polymerase, Stu2, in lysates prepared from metaphase-arrested budding yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae . Using total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) microscopy to observe kinetochore translocation on the lateral microtubule surface toward the microtubule plus end, motility was shown to be dependent on both Kip3, as we reported previously, and Stu2. These proteins were shown to have distinct dynamics on the microtubule. Kip3 is highly processive and moves faster than the kinetochore. Stu2 tracks both growing and shrinking microtubule ends but also colocalizes with moving lattice-bound kinetochores. In cells, we observed that both Kip3 and Stu2 are important for establishing chromosome biorientation, Moreover, when both proteins are absent, biorientation is completely defective. All cells lacking both Kip3 and Stu2 had declustered kinetochores and about half also had at least one unattached kinetochore. Our evidence argues that despite differences in their dynamics, Kip3 and Stu2 share roles in chromosome congression to facilitate proper kinetochore-microtubule attachment.

Cik1 and Vik1 accessory proteins confer distinct functions to the kinesin-14 Kar3.

The budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has a closed mitosis in which the mitotic spindle and the cytoplasmic microtubules (MTs), both of which generate forces to faithfully segregate chromosomes, remain separated by the nuclear envelope throughout the cell cycle. Kar3, the yeast kinesin-14, has distinct functions on MTs in each compartment. Here, we show that two proteins, Cik1 and Vik1, which form heterodimers with Kar3, regulate its localization and function within the cell, and along MTs in a cell cycle-dependent manner. Using a yeast MT dynamics reconstitution assay in lysates from cell cycle-synchronized cells, we found that Kar3-Vik1 induces MT catastrophes in S phase and metaphase, and limits MT polymerization in G1 and anaphase. In contrast, Kar3-Cik1 promotes catastrophes and pauses in G1, while increasing catastrophes in metaphase and anaphase. Adapting this assay to track MT motor protein motility, we observed that Cik1 is necessary for Kar3 to track MT plus-ends in S phase and metaphase but, surprisingly, not during anaphase. These experiments demonstrate how the binding partners of Kar3 modulate its diverse functions both spatially and temporally.

Kinetic investigation reveals an HIV-1 Nef-dependent increase in AP-2 recruitment and productivity at endocytic sites.

Lentiviruses express non-enzymatic accessory proteins whose function is to subvert cellular machinery in the infected host. The HIV-1 accessory protein Nef hijacks clathrin adaptors to degrade or mislocalize host proteins involved in antiviral defenses. Here, we investigate the interaction between Nef and clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME), a major pathway for membrane protein internalization in mammalian cells, using quantitative live-cell microscopy in genome-edited Jurkat cells. Nef is recruited to CME sites on the plasma membrane, and this recruitment correlates with an increase in the recruitment and lifetime of CME coat protein AP-2 and late-arriving CME protein dynamin2. Furthermore, we find that CME sites that recruit Nef are more likely to recruit dynamin2, suggesting that Nef recruitment to CME sites promotes CME site maturation to ensure high efficiency in host protein downregulation.

Self-organizing actin networks drive sequential endocytic protein recruitment and vesicle release on synthetic lipid bilayers.

Forces generated by actin assembly assist membrane invagination during clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME). The sequential recruitment of core endocytic proteins and regulatory proteins, and assembly of the actin network, are well documented in live cells and are highly conserved from yeasts to humans. However, understanding of CME protein self-organization, as well as the biochemical and mechanical principles that underlie actin's role in CME, is lacking. Here, we show that supported lipid bilayers coated with purified yeast Wiskott Aldrich Syndrome Protein (WASP), an endocytic actin assembly regulator, and incubated in cytoplasmic yeast extracts, recruit downstream endocytic proteins and assemble actin networks. Time-lapse imaging of WASP-coated bilayers revealed sequential recruitment of proteins from different endocytic modules, faithfully replicating in vivo behavior. Reconstituted actin networks assemble in a WASP-dependent manner and deform lipid bilayers, as seen by electron microscopy. Time-lapse imaging revealed that vesicles are released from the lipid bilayers with a burst of actin assembly. Actin networks pushing on membranes have previously been reconstituted; here, we have reconstituted a biologically important variation of these actin networks that self-organize on bilayers and produce pulling forces sufficient to bud off membrane vesicles. We propose that actin-driven vesicle generation may represent an ancient evolutionary precursor to diverse vesicle forming processes adapted for a wide array of cellular environments and applications.

Endocytic myosin-1 is a force-insensitive, power-generating motor.

Myosins are required for clathrin-mediated endocytosis, but their precise molecular roles in this process are not known. This is, in part, because the biophysical properties of the relevant motors have not been investigated. Myosins have diverse mechanochemical activities, ranging from powerful contractility against mechanical loads to force-sensitive anchoring. To better understand the essential molecular contribution of myosin to endocytosis, we studied the in vitro force-dependent kinetics of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae endocytic type I myosin called Myo5, a motor whose role in clathrin-mediated endocytosis has been meticulously studied in vivo. We report that Myo5 is a low-duty-ratio motor that is activated ∼10-fold by phosphorylation, and that its working stroke and actin-detachment kinetics are relatively force-insensitive. Strikingly, the in vitro mechanochemistry of Myo5 is more like that of cardiac myosin than like that of slow anchoring myosin-1s found on endosomal membranes. We therefore propose that Myo5 generates power to augment actin assembly-based forces during endocytosis in cells. Summary: Pedersen, Snoberger et al. measure the force-sensitivity of the yeast endocytic the myosin-1 called Myo5 and find that it is more likely to generate power than to serve as a force-sensitive anchor in cells. Implications for Myo5's role in clathrin-mediated endocytosis are discussed.

Self-organizing actin networks drive sequential endocytic protein recruitment and vesicle release on synthetic lipid bilayers.

Forces generated by actin assembly assist membrane invagination during clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME). The sequential recruitment of core endocytic proteins and regulatory proteins, and assembly of the actin network, are well documented in live cells and are highly conserved from yeasts to humans. However, understanding of CME protein self-organization, as well as the biochemical and mechanical principles that underlie actin’s role in CME, is lacking. Here, we show that supported lipid bilayers coated with purified yeast WASP, an endocytic actin assembly regulator, and incubated in cytoplasmic yeast extracts, recruit downstream endocytic proteins and assemble actin tails. Time-lapse imaging of WASP-coated bilayers revealed sequential recruitment of proteins from different endocytic modules, faithfully replicating in vivo behavior. Reconstituted actin networks assemble in a WASP-dependent manner and deform lipid bilayers, as seen by electron microscopy. Time-lapse imaging revealed that vesicles are released from the lipid bilayers with a burst of actin assembly. Actin networks pushing on membranes have previously been reconstituted; here, we have reconstituted a biologically important variation of these actin networks that self-organize on bilayers and produce pulling forces sufficient to bud off membrane vesicles. We propose that actin-driven vesicle generation may represent an ancient evolutionary precursor to diverse vesicle forming processes adapted for a wide array of cellular environments and applications. Significance Statement: Actin filament assembly participates in many vesicle-forming processes. However, the underlying principles for how assembly is initiated and organized to effectively harness assembly forces remain elusive. To address this gap, we report a novel reconstitution of actin-driven vesicle release from supported lipid bilayers. Using real-time imaging, we observe sequential recruitment of endocytic proteins and, following a burst of actin assembly, vesicle release from bilayers. Given the absence of cargo or upstream endocytic regulatory proteins on the bilayers, and the participation of actin in many vesicle-forming processes, we posit that this mode of vesicle formation represents an early evolutionary precursor for multiple trafficking pathways. We expect that this assay will be of great use for future investigations of actin-mediated vesicle-forming processes.

Membrane curvature as a signal to ensure robustness of diverse cellular processes.

An increasing corpus of research has demonstrated that membrane shape, generated either by the external environment of the cell or by intrinsic mechanisms such as cytokinesis and vesicle or organelle formation, is an important parameter in the control of diverse cellular processes. In this review we discuss recent findings that demonstrate how membrane curvature (from nanometer to micron length-scales) alters protein function. We describe an expanding toolkit for experimentally modulating membrane curvature to reveal effects on protein function, and discuss how membrane curvature - far from being a passive consequence of the physical environment and the internal protein activity of a cell - is an important signal that controls protein affinity and enzymatic activity to ensure robust forward progression of key processes within the cell.

Reconstitution of kinetochore motility and microtubule dynamics reveals a role for a kinesin-8 in establishing end-on attachments.

During mitosis, individual microtubules make attachments to chromosomes via a specialized protein complex called the kinetochore to faithfully segregate the chromosomes to daughter cells. Translocation of kinetochores on the lateral surface of the microtubule has been proposed to contribute to high fidelity chromosome capture and alignment at the mitotic midzone, but has been difficult to observe in vivo because of spatial and temporal constraints. To overcome these barriers, we used total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) microscopy to track the interactions between microtubules, kinetochore proteins, and other microtubule-associated proteins in lysates from metaphase-arrested Saccharomyces cerevisiae. TIRF microscopy and cryo-correlative light microscopy and electron tomography indicated that we successfully reconstituted interactions between intact kinetochores and microtubules. These kinetochores translocate on the lateral microtubule surface toward the microtubule plus end and transition to end-on attachment, whereupon microtubule depolymerization commences. The directional kinetochore movement is dependent on the highly processive kinesin-8, Kip3. We propose that Kip3 facilitates stable kinetochore attachment to microtubule plus ends through its abilities to move the kinetochore laterally on the surface of the microtubule and to regulate microtubule plus end dynamics.

Branched actin networks are organized for asymmetric force production during clathrin-mediated endocytosis in mammalian cells.

Actin assembly facilitates vesicle formation in several trafficking pathways, including clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME). Interestingly, actin does not assemble at all CME sites in mammalian cells. How actin networks are organized with respect to mammalian CME sites and how assembly forces are harnessed, are not fully understood. Here, branched actin network geometry at CME sites was analyzed using three different advanced imaging approaches. When endocytic dynamics of unperturbed CME sites are compared, sites with actin assembly show a distinct signature, a delay between completion of coat expansion and vesicle scission, indicating that actin assembly occurs preferentially at stalled CME sites. In addition, N-WASP and the Arp2/3 complex are recruited to one side of CME sites, where they are positioned to stimulate asymmetric actin assembly and force production. We propose that actin assembles preferentially at stalled CME sites where it pulls vesicles into the cell asymmetrically, much as a bottle opener pulls off a bottle cap.

Induced nanoscale membrane curvature bypasses the essential endocytic function of clathrin.

During clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME), flat plasma membrane is remodeled to produce nanometer-scale vesicles. The mechanisms underlying this remodeling are not completely understood. The ability of clathrin to bind membranes of distinct geometries casts uncertainty on its specific role in curvature generation/stabilization. Here, we used nanopatterning to produce substrates for live-cell imaging, with U-shaped features that bend the ventral plasma membrane of a cell into shapes resembling energetically unfavorable CME intermediates. This induced membrane curvature recruits CME proteins, promoting endocytosis. Upon AP2, FCHo1/2, or clathrin knockdown, CME on flat substrates is severely diminished. However, induced membrane curvature recruits CME proteins in the absence of FCHo1/2 or clathrin and rescues CME dynamics/cargo uptake after clathrin (but not AP2 or FCHo1/2) knockdown. Induced membrane curvature enhances CME protein recruitment upon branched actin assembly inhibition under elevated membrane tension. These data establish that membrane curvature assists in CME nucleation and that the essential function of clathrin during CME is to facilitate curvature evolution, rather than scaffold protein recruitment.

Mechanistic insights into actin force generation during vesicle formation from cryo-electron tomography.

Actin assembly provides force for a multitude of cellular processes. Compared to actin-assembly-based force production during cell migration, relatively little is understood about how actin assembly generates pulling forces for vesicle formation. Here, cryo-electron tomography identified actin filament number, organization, and orientation during clathrin-mediated endocytosis in human SK-MEL-2 cells, showing that force generation is robust despite variance in network organization. Actin dynamics simulations incorporating a measured branch angle indicate that sufficient force to drive membrane internalization is generated through polymerization and that assembly is triggered from ∼4 founding "mother" filaments, consistent with tomography data. Hip1R actin filament anchoring points are present along the entire endocytic invagination, where simulations show that it is key to pulling force generation, and along the neck, where it targets filament growth and makes internalization more robust. Actin organization described here allowed direct translation of structure to mechanism with broad implications for other actin-driven processes.

Load adaptation by endocytic actin networks.

Clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME) robustness under elevated membrane tension is maintained by actin assembly-mediated force generation. However, whether more actin assembles at endocytic sites in response to increased load has not previously been investigated. Here actin network ultrastructure at CME sites was examined under low and high membrane tension. Actin and N-WASP spatial organization indicate that actin polymerization initiates at the base of clathrin-coated pits and that the network then grows away from the plasma membrane. Actin network height at individual CME sites was not coupled to coat shape, raising the possibility that local differences in mechanical load feed back on assembly. By manipulating membrane tension and Arp2/3 complex activity, we tested the hypothesis that actin assembly at CME sites increases in response to elevated load. Indeed, in response to elevated membrane tension, actin grew higher, resulting in greater coverage of the clathrin coat, and CME slowed. When membrane tension was elevated and the Arp2/3 complex was inhibited, shallow clathrin-coated pits accumulated, indicating that this adaptive mechanism is especially crucial for coat curvature generation. We propose that actin assembly increases in response to increased load to ensure CME robustness over a range of plasma membrane tensions.

Unexplored Cdc42 functions at the budding yeast nucleus suggested by subcellular localization.

In budding yeast, the Rho-family GTPase Cdc42 has several functions that depend on its subcellular localization and the cell cycle stage. During bud formation, Cdc42 localizes to the plasma membrane at the bud tip and bud neck where it carries out functions in actin polymerization, spindle positioning, and exocytosis to ensure proper polarity development. Recent live-cell imaging analysis revealed a novel localization of Cdc42 to a discrete intracellular focus associated with the vacuole and nuclear envelope. The discovery of this novel Cdc42 localization led to the identification of a new function in ESCRT-mediated nuclear envelope sealing. However, other aspects of this intracellular localization and its functional implications were not explored. Here, we further characterize the Cdc42 focus and present several novel observations that suggest possible additional Cdc42 functions at the nucleus, including nucleus-vacuole junction formation, nuclear envelope tethering, nuclear migration, and nucleopodia formation.

A preferred sequence for organelle inheritance during polarized cell growth.

Some organelles cannot be synthesized anew, so they are segregated into daughter cells during cell division. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, daughter cells bud from mother cells and are populated by organelles inherited from the mothers. To determine whether this organelle inheritance occurs in a stereotyped manner, we tracked organelles using fluorescence microscopy. We describe a program for organelle inheritance in budding yeast. The cortical endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and peroxisomes are inherited concomitantly with bud emergence. Next, vacuoles are inherited in small buds, followed closely by mitochondria. Finally, the nucleus and perinuclear ER are inherited when buds have nearly reached their maximal size. Because organelle inheritance timing correlates with bud morphology, which is coupled to the cell cycle, we tested whether disrupting the cell cycle alters organelle inheritance order. By arresting cell cycle progression but allowing continued bud growth, we determined that organelle inheritance still occurs when DNA replication is blocked, and that the general inheritance order is maintained. Thus, organelle inheritance follows a preferred order during polarized cell division and does not require completion of S-phase.

Evolutionarily related small viral fusogens hijack distinct but modular actin nucleation pathways to drive cell-cell fusion.

Fusion-associated small transmembrane (FAST) proteins are a diverse family of nonstructural viral proteins. Once expressed on the plasma membrane of infected cells, they drive fusion with neighboring cells, increasing viral spread and pathogenicity. Unlike viral fusogens with tall ectodomains that pull two membranes together through conformational changes, FAST proteins have short fusogenic ectodomains that cannot bridge the intermembrane gap between neighboring cells. One orthoreovirus FAST protein, p14, has been shown to hijack the actin cytoskeleton to drive cell-cell fusion, but the actin adaptor-binding motif identified in p14 is not found in any other FAST protein. Here, we report that an evolutionarily divergent FAST protein, p22 from aquareovirus, also hijacks the actin cytoskeleton but does so through different adaptor proteins, Intersectin-1 and Cdc42, that trigger N-WASP-mediated branched actin assembly. We show that despite using different pathways, the cytoplasmic tail of p22 can replace that of p14 to create a potent chimeric fusogen, suggesting they are modular and play similar functional roles. When we directly couple p22 with the parallel filament nucleator formin instead of the branched actin nucleation promoting factor N-WASP, its ability to drive fusion is maintained, suggesting that localized mechanical pressure on the plasma membrane coupled to a membrane-disruptive ectodomain is sufficient to drive cell-cell fusion. This work points to a common biophysical strategy used by FAST proteins to push rather than pull membranes together to drive fusion, one that may be harnessed by other short fusogens responsible for physiological cell-cell fusion.

Spatial regulation of clathrin-mediated endocytosis through position-dependent site maturation.

During clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME), over 50 different proteins assemble on the plasma membrane to reshape it into a cargo-laden vesicle. It has long been assumed that cargo triggers local CME site assembly in Saccharomyces cerevisiae based on the discovery that cortical actin patches, which cluster near exocytic sites, are CME sites. Quantitative imaging data reported here lead to a radically different view of which CME steps are regulated and which steps are deterministic. We quantitatively and spatially describe progression through the CME pathway and pinpoint a cargo-sensitive regulatory transition point that governs progression from the initiation phase of CME to the internalization phase. Thus, site maturation, rather than site initiation, accounts for the previously observed polarized distribution of actin patches in this organism. While previous studies suggested that cargo ensures its own internalization by regulating either CME initiation rates or frequency of abortive events, our data instead identify maturation through a checkpoint in the pathway as the cargo-sensitive step.