Dissecting interactions between EB1, microtubules and APC in cortical clusters at the plasma membrane

End-binding protein (EB) 1 binds to the C-terminus of adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) protein and to the plus ends of microtubules (MT) and has been implicated in the regulation of APC accumulation in cortical clusters at the tip of extending membranes. We investigated which APC domains are involved in cluster localization and whether binding to EB1 or MTs is essential for APC cluster localization. Armadillo repeats of APC that lack EB1- and MT-binding domains are necessary and sufficient for APC localization in cortical clusters; an APC fragment lacking the armadillo repeats, but containing MT- and EB1-binding domains, does not localize to the cortical clusters but instead co-aligns with MTs throughout the cell. Significantly, analysis of endogenous proteins reveals that EB1 does not accumulate in the APC clusters. However, overexpressed EB1 does accumulate in APC clusters; the APC-binding domain in EB1 is located in the C-terminal region of EB1 between amino acids 134 and 268. Overexpressed APC- or MT-binding domains of EB1 localize to APC cortical clusters and MT, respectively, without affecting APC cluster formation itself. These results show that localization of APC in cortical clusters is different from that of EB1 at MT plus ends and appears to be independent of EB1.