Papers In Press, published online ahead of print December 27, 2005
J. Biol. Chem, 10.1074/jbc.M510619200
Submitted on September 28, 2005
Accepted on December 27, 2005
Sec14 homology domain targets p50RhoGAP to endosomes and provides a link between Rab- and Rho GTPases
Gabor Sirokmany, Laszlo Szidonya, Krisztina Kaldi, Zsuzsanna Gaborik, Erzsebet Ligeti, and Miklos Geiszt
Department of Physiology, Semmelweis University, Hungary, Budapest
Corresponding Author: geiszt{at}puskin.sote.hu
Sec14 protein was first identified in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, where it serves as a phosphatydilinositol transfer protein that is essential for the transport of secretory proteins from the Golgi complex. A protein domain homologous to Sec14 was identified in several mammalian proteins, which regulate Rho GTP-ases, including exchange factors and GTPase activating proteins. P50RhoGAP, the first identified GTPase activating protein for Rho GTPases is composed of a Sec14-like domain and a Rho-GAP domain. The biological function of its Sec14-like domain is still unknown. Here we show that p50RhoGAP is present on endosomal membranes where it colocalizes with internalized transferrin receptor. We demonstrate that the Sec14-like domain of P50RhoGAP is responsible for the endosomal targeting of the protein. We also show that overexpression of p50RhoGAP or its Sec14-like domain inhibits transferrin uptake. Furthermore, both P50RhoGAP and its Sec14-like domain show colocalization with small GTPases Rab11 and Rab5. We measured bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET) between p50RhoGAP and Rab11, indicating that these proteins form molecular complex in vivo on endosomal membranes. The interaction was meditated by the Sec 14-like domain of p50RhoGAP. Our results indicate that Sec14-like domain, which was previously considered as a phospholipid-binding module, may have a role in the mediation of protein-protein interactions. We suggest that p50RhoGAP provides a link between Rab- and Rho GTP-ases in the regulation of receptor-mediated endocytosis.