Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 25, 2026

The Cell-based L-Glutathione Protection Assays to Study Endocytosis and Recycling of Plasma Membrane Proteins
09:22

The Cell-based L-Glutathione Protection Assays to Study Endocytosis and Recycling of Plasma Membrane Proteins

Published on: December 13, 2013

Regulation of EGFR endocytic trafficking by rab proteins

B P Ceresa1

  • 1Department of Cell Biology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, College of Medicine, Oklahoma City, OK 73190, USA. brian-ceresa@ouhsc.edu

Histology and Histopathology
|June 10, 2006
PubMed

Insights

Rabs, small proteins, regulate how the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) moves through cells. This process is crucial for controlling cell growth and cancer development.

Area of Science:

  • Cell biology
  • Molecular biology
  • Cancer research

Background:

  • The Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) is a key receptor tyrosine kinase involved in cellular development and cancer.
  • Ligand stimulation of EGFR triggers biochemical pathways and receptor internalization via the endocytic pathway.
  • The endocytic pathway controls EGFR degradation, recycling, and signaling.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the regulatory role of rabs in the endocytic trafficking of EGFR.
  • To understand how these small guanine nucleotide-binding proteins influence EGFR's journey through the endocytic pathway.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review focusing on the function of rabs in endocytosis.
  • Analysis of studies detailing the interaction between rabs and EGFR trafficking.
  • Synthesis of current knowledge on rab-mediated regulation of EGFR.

Main Results:

  • Rabs are identified as critical regulators of EGFR internalization, sorting, and transport within the endocytic pathway.
  • Specific rabs are implicated in distinct stages of EGFR trafficking, affecting its degradation and recycling.
  • Dysregulation of rab function can impact EGFR signaling and contribute to disease states.

Conclusions:

  • Rabs play a pivotal role in governing EGFR's fate after ligand stimulation.
  • Targeting rab proteins offers potential therapeutic strategies for EGFR-related cancers.
  • Further research into rab-mediated EGFR trafficking is essential for understanding cellular signaling and disease progression.

More Related Videos

Investigating Mast Cell Secretory Granules; from Biosynthesis to Exocytosis16:01

Investigating Mast Cell Secretory Granules; from Biosynthesis to Exocytosis

Published on: January 26, 2015

Density Gradient Ultracentrifugation for Investigating Endocytic Recycling in Mammalian Cells05:13

Density Gradient Ultracentrifugation for Investigating Endocytic Recycling in Mammalian Cells

Published on: June 30, 2021

Related Concept Videos

The Early Endosome: Endocytosis of Transferrin01:28

The Early Endosome: Endocytosis of Transferrin

Essential proteins such as insulin or low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and micronutrients such as iron enter a eukaryotic cell through receptor-mediated endocytosis. Subsequently, the early endosomes fuse with the vesicles containing such receptor-ligand complexes and play a vital role in sorting the incoming ligands and receptors. While the ligands are either degraded inside the vesicle or released into the cytosol, their receptors are returned to the plasma membrane for further rounds of...
Recycling Endosomes and Transcytosis00:58

Recycling Endosomes and Transcytosis

The recycling endosome, also known as the endosomal recycling compartment (ERC), is a part of the slow-recycling process of the endocytic pathway. Molecules internalized through receptor-mediated endocytosis are either degraded in the lysosomes or are recycled to the plasma membrane through the fast- or slow-recycling route.
The recycling endosome is not a single organelle but an extensively tubulated network of recycling pathways. It functions in storing molecules or transporting them across...
Rab Proteins01:14

Rab Proteins

Rab proteins constitute the largest family of monomeric GTPases, of which 70 members are present in humans. Rab proteins and their effectors regulate consecutive stages of vesicle transport such as vesicle transport, docking, and fusion to the correct recipient membrane.
Rab proteins switch between a cytosolic, GDP-bound inactive state and a membrane-anchored, GTP-bound active state. By themselves, Rabs show slow rates of GDP/GTP exchange and GTP hydrolysis. Thus, Rab proteins are considered...
Receptor Downregulation in MVBs01:15

Receptor Downregulation in MVBs

Multivesicular bodies (MVBs) are mature endosomes that sort ubiquitinated proteins and then fuse with lysosomes to degrade the sorted proteins. Epidermal growth factor (EGF) and its receptor (EGFR) form a complex that can be internalized through endocytosis, sorted into an MVB, and later degraded.
The EGFR can initiate signaling pathways that  lead to cell proliferation, migration, and differentiation. Overexpression of EGFR  stimulates cells to proliferate. Excessive  EGFR activation may...
Rab Cascades01:25

Rab Cascades

Rab GTPases act in a regulated cascade during membrane fusion, helping the lipid bilayers mix. The Rab family of proteins are active when bound to GTP, and inactive when bound to GDP. Hence, they act as guanine nucleotide-dependent molecular switches. Rab-GTP recognizes and binds to long or short-range tethering proteins to capture the target vesicle. These tethers coordinate with SNAREs on the vesicle and the target membrane to assemble the trans SNARE complex that locks the mixing bilayers.
Small GTPases - Ras and Rho01:24

Small GTPases - Ras and Rho

Ras and Rho are small monomeric GTPases that act downstream of receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) and regulate various cellular processes. These GTPases switch between active and inactive states by binding to guanine nucleotides.
Three regulatory proteins control their activity: