Protein kinase N controls a lysosomal lipid switch to facilitate nutrient signalling via mTORC1.

Mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) kinase functions in two multiprotein complexes: lysosomal mTOR complex 1 (mTORC1) and mTORC2 at the plasma membrane. mTORC1 modulates the cell response to growth factors and nutrients by increasing protein synthesis and cell growth, and repressing the autophagy-lysosomal pathway; however, dysfunction in mTORC1 is implicated in various diseases. mTORC1 activity is regulated by phosphoinositide lipids.

mTORC1 activity repression by late endosomal phosphatidylinositol 3,4-bisphosphate.

Nutrient sensing by mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) on lysosomes and late endosomes (LyLEs) regulates cell growth. Many factors stimulate mTORC1 activity, including the production of phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-trisphosphate [PI(3,4,5)P] by class I phosphatidylinositol 3-kinases (PI3Ks) at the plasma membrane. We investigated mechanisms that repress mTORC1 under conditions of growth factor deprivation.

Phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphates-at the interface between cell signalling and membrane traffic.

Phosphoinositides (PIs) form a minor class of phospholipids with crucial functions in cell physiology, ranging from cell signalling and motility to a role as signposts of compartmental membrane identity. Phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphates are present at the plasma membrane and within the endolysosomal system, where they serve as key regulators of both cell signalling and of intracellular membrane traffic. Here, we provide an overview of the metabolic pathways that regulate cellular synthesis of PI 3-phosphates at distinct intracellular sites and discuss the mechanisms by which these lipids regulate cell signalling and membrane traffic.

Phosphorylation-dependent Regulation of Connecdenn/DENND1 Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors.

Connecdenn 1/2 are DENN (differentially expressed in normal and neoplastic cells) domain-bearing proteins that function as GEFs (guanine nucleotide exchange factors) for the small GTPase Rab35. Disruption of connecdenn/Rab35 function leads to defects in the recycling of multiple cargo proteins from endosomes with altered cell function, yet the regulation of connecdenn GEF activity is unexplored. We now demonstrate that connecdenn 1/2 are autoinhibited such that the purified, full-length proteins have significantly less Rab35 binding and GEF activity than the isolated DENN domain.

The role of EHD proteins at the neuronal synapse.

Eps15 homology domain (EHD) proteins are conserved adenosine triphosphatases that are involved in membrane remodeling. EHD family members are structurally similar to the guanosine triphosphatase (GTPase) dynamin, and both are essential for the fission step of clathrin-mediated endocytosis. This Journal Club highlights a recent study by Jakobsson et al.

Connecdenn 3/DENND1C binds actin linking Rab35 activation to the actin cytoskeleton.

The small GTPase Rab35 regulates endosomal membrane trafficking but also recruits effectors that modulate actin assembly and organization. Differentially expressed in normal and neoplastic cells (DENN)-domain proteins are a newly identified class of Rab guanine-nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) that are grouped into eight families, each activating a common Rab. The members of one family, connecdenn 1-3/DENND1A-C, are all GEFs for Rab35.

DENN domain proteins: regulators of Rab GTPases.

The DENN domain is a common, evolutionarily ancient, and conserved protein module, yet it has gone largely unstudied; until recently, little was known regarding its functional roles. New studies reveal that various DENN domains interact directly with members of the Rab family of small GTPases and that DENN domains function enzymatically as Rab-specific guanine nucleotide exchange factors. Thus, DENN domain proteins appear to be generalized regulators of Rab function.

The Connecdenn DENN domain: a GEF for Rab35 mediating cargo-specific exit from early endosomes.

The DENN domain is an evolutionarily ancient protein module. Mutations in the DENN domain cause developmental defects in plants and human diseases, yet the function of this common module is unknown. We now demonstrate that the connecdenn/DENND1A DENN domain functions as a guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) for Rab35 to regulate endosomal membrane trafficking.

The connecdenn family, Rab35 guanine nucleotide exchange factors interfacing with the clathrin machinery.

Rabs constitute the largest family of monomeric GTPases, yet for the majority of Rabs relatively little is known about their activation and recruitment to vesicle-trafficking pathways. We recently identified connecdenn (DENND1A), which contains an N-terminal DENN (differentially expressed in neoplastic versus normal cells) domain, a common and evolutionarily ancient protein module. Through its DENN domain, connecdenn functions enzymatically as a guanine-nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) for Rab35.

ATP-binding cassette transporters ABCA1, ABCA7, and ABCG1 in mouse spermatozoa.

Mammalian spermatozoa lose plasma membrane cholesterol during their maturation in the epididymis and during their capacitation in the female reproductive tract. While acceptors such as high-density lipoproteins (HDL) and apolipoproteins A-I (apoA-I) and J have been found in male and female reproductive tracts, transporters that mediate cholesterol efflux from plasma membranes of spermatozoa to such acceptors have not yet been defined. Candidate transporters are members of the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter superfamily including ABCA1, ABCA7, ABCG1 and ABCG4, which have all been implicated in the transport of sterols and phospholipids to apolipoproteins and HDL.