LIN-10 can promote LET-23 EGFR signaling and trafficking independently of LIN-2 and LIN-7

Mol Biol Cell. 2021 Apr 15;32(8):788-799. doi: 10.1091/mbc.E20-07-0490. Epub 2021 Feb 10.

Abstract

During Caenorhabditis elegans larval development, an inductive signal mediated by the LET-23 EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor), specifies three of six vulva precursor cells (VPCs) to adopt vulval cell fates. An evolutionarily conserved complex consisting of PDZ domain-containing scaffold proteins LIN-2 (CASK), LIN-7 (Lin7 or Veli), and LIN-10 (APBA1 or Mint1) (LIN-2/7/10) mediates basolateral LET-23 EGFR localization in the VPCs to permit signal transmission and development of the vulva. We recently found that the LIN-2/7/10 complex likely forms at Golgi ministacks; however, the mechanism through which the complex targets the receptor to the basolateral membrane remains unknown. Here we found that overexpression of LIN-10 or LIN-7 can compensate for loss of their complex components by promoting LET-23 EGFR signaling through previously unknown complex-independent and receptor-dependent pathways. In particular, LIN-10 can independently promote basolateral LET-23 EGFR localization, and its complex-independent function uniquely requires its PDZ domains that also regulate its localization to Golgi. These studies point to a novel complex-independent function for LIN-7 and LIN-10 that broadens our understanding of how this complex regulates targeted sorting of membrane proteins.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Caenorhabditis elegans / embryology
  • Caenorhabditis elegans / metabolism
  • Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / metabolism*
  • Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / physiology
  • Carrier Proteins / metabolism
  • Cell Differentiation
  • Cell Membrane / metabolism
  • ErbB Receptors / metabolism*
  • ErbB Receptors / physiology
  • Female
  • Genes, erbB-1 / physiology
  • Helminth Proteins / metabolism
  • Membrane Proteins / metabolism*
  • Membrane Proteins / physiology
  • Protein Transport
  • Signal Transduction
  • Vulva / embryology*
  • Vulva / metabolism

Substances

  • Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins
  • Carrier Proteins
  • Helminth Proteins
  • LIN-7 protein, C elegans
  • Lin-2 protein, C elegans
  • Membrane Proteins
  • lin-10 protein, C elegans
  • ErbB Receptors
  • let-23 protein, C elegans