Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2005 Jul 15;118(Pt 14):3103-15.
doi: 10.1242/jcs.02444. Epub 2005 Jun 28.

N-WASP deficiency impairs EGF internalization and actin assembly at clathrin-coated pits

Affiliations

N-WASP deficiency impairs EGF internalization and actin assembly at clathrin-coated pits

Stefanie Benesch et al. J Cell Sci. .

Abstract

WASP and WAVE family proteins promote actin polymerization by stimulating Arp2/3-complex-dependent filament nucleation. Unlike WAVE proteins, which are known to drive the formation of protrusions such as lamellipodia and membrane ruffles, vertebrate cell functions of WASP or N-WASP are less well established. Recent work demonstrated that clathrin-coated pit invagination can coincide with assembly of actin filaments and with accumulation of N-WASP and Arp2/3 complex, but the relevance of their recruitment has remained poorly defined. We employed two-colour total internal reflection microscopy to study the recruitment and dynamics of various components of the actin polymerization machinery and the epidermal growth factor receptor signalling machinery during clathrin-coated pit internalization in control cells and cells genetically deficient for functional N-WASP. We found that clathrin-coated pit endocytosis coincides with the recruitment of N-WASP, Arp2/3 complex and associated proteins, but not of WAVE family members. Actin accumulation at clathrin-coated pits requires the Arp2/3 complex, since Arp2/3 complex sequestration in the cytosol abolished any detectable actin assembly. The absence of N-WASP caused a significant reduction in the frequencies of actin and Arp2/3 complex accumulations at sites of clathrin-coated pit invagination and vesicle departure. Although N-WASP was not essential for Arp2/3-complex-mediated actin assembly at these sites or for EGF receptor-mediated endocytosis, N-WASP deficiency caused a marked reduction of EGF internalization. We conclude that the assembly of WASP subfamily proteins and associated factors at sites of clathrin-coated pit invagination amplifies actin accumulations at these sites promoting efficient internalization of ligands via clathrin-mediated endocytosis.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

Cited by

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources