Endosomal sorting sorted - motors, adaptors and lessons from in vitro and cellular studies

Area of Science:

• Cell Biology
• Molecular Motors
• Membrane Trafficking

Background:

• Motor proteins regulate the spatiotemporal positioning of membrane-bound compartments, such as endosomes carrying cargo.
• Understanding cargo transport is crucial for cellular processes like degradation and recycling.
• Current research often studies motor proteins and membrane trafficking independently.

Approach:

• This review synthesizes recent in vitro and in vivo studies on endosomal vesicle positioning and transport.
• It highlights the roles of motor proteins and cargo adaptors in regulating cargo movement.
• The review integrates findings across different scales, from single molecules to whole organelles.

Key Points:

• Motor proteins and adaptors are central to controlling endosomal cargo localization.
• Cargo follows two main pathways: lysosomal degradation or plasma membrane recycling.
• Integrating single-molecule and organelle-level studies provides a unified view of motor-driven transport.

Conclusions:

• A comprehensive understanding of motor-driven cargo trafficking requires integrating data from diverse experimental scales.
• Unified principles governing motor-driven cargo transport in living cells are emerging.
• This integrated perspective advances our knowledge of fundamental cellular logistics.