Mechanisms of Clathrin-Independent Endocytosis

National Heart, Lung, And Blood Institute

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Abstract

There are a great number of plasma membrane proteins that enter cells by clathrin-independent endocytosis and we have begun to study these proteins in detail in an attempt to understand how they travel in cells and whether they specifically interact with cellular machinery. We have identified signals in the cytoplasmic tails of CD44, CD98 and CD147 that are responsible for their altered trafficking and are looking for cellular machinery that is responsible for recognition and sorting of these signals. Understanding how these proteins move into and out of cells is important because these proteins are involved in interaction with the extracellular matrix (CD44), are involved in nutrient transport (CD98) and interact with integrins and matrix metalloproteinases (CD147).