Mannose 6-phosphate receptors regulate the formation of clathrin-coated vesicles in the TGN

The transport of the two mannose 6-phosphate receptors (MPRs) from the secretory pathway to the endocytic pathway is mediated by carrier vesicles coated with the AP-1 Golgi-specific assembly protein and clathrin. Using an in vitro assay that reconstitutes the ARF-1-dependent translocation of cytosolic AP-1 onto membranes of the TGN, we have previously reported that the MPRs are key components for the efficient recruitment of AP-1 (Le Borgne, R., G. Griffiths, and B. Hoflack. 1996. J. Biol. Chem. 271:2162-2170). Using a polyclonal antibody against the mouse gamma-adaptin, we have now examined the steady state distribution of AP-1 after subcellular fractionation of mouse fibroblasts lacking both MPRs or reexpressing physiological levels of either MPR. We report that the amount of AP-1 bound to membranes and associated with clathrin-coated vesicles depends on the expression level of the MPRs and on the integrity of their cytoplasmic domains. Thus, these results indicate that the concentration of the MPRs, i.e., the major transmembrane proteins sorted toward the endosomes, determines the number of clathrin-coated vesicles formed in the TGN.