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Eisosomes mark static sites of endocytosis
Tobias C Walther1, Jason H Brickner, Pablo S Aguilar
1Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California at San Francisco, 600-16th Street, San Francisco, California 94143-2200, USA. twalther@itsa.ucsf.edu
Nature
|February 24, 2006
Summary
Researchers discovered eisosomes, large protein assemblies in yeast, that mark specific sites for endocytosis. These structures, composed of Pil1 and Lsp1, are crucial for nutrient and receptor internalization via the plasma membrane.
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Molecular Biology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Endocytosis is a vital cellular process for recycling plasma membrane components, regulating cell-surface receptors, and internalizing nutrients in eukaryotic cells.
- The precise mechanisms initiating endocytosis at specific plasma membrane locations have remained largely unknown, with possibilities including random formation or specific site induction.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the mechanism of endocytosis initiation at the plasma membrane.
- To identify specific structures or locations that mark sites of endocytosis.
Main Methods:
- Microscopy and protein localization studies in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
- Genetic interaction analysis of eisosome components with known endocytic effectors.
Main Results:
- Identification of large, immobile protein assemblies named eisosomes at the yeast plasma membrane.
- Eisosomes are primarily composed of cytoplasmic proteins Pil1 and Lsp1, with Sur7 as a plasma membrane component.
- Eisosomes colocalize with sites of protein and lipid endocytosis and interact genetically with endocytic pathways. Loss of Pil1 causes eisosome remnant clustering and redirects endocytosis.
Conclusions:
- Eisosomes serve as specific markers for endocytic sites on the plasma membrane in yeast.
- These structures play a role in organizing and potentially initiating the endocytosis process.
- Eisosome components are integral to the regulation and execution of endocytosis.
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