Susanne Liese: Protein crowding mediates membrane remodeling in upstream ESCRT-induced formation of intraluminal vesicles

Abstract: Intraluminal vesicle (ILV) formation plays a crucial role in the attenuation of growth factor receptor signaling. The endosomal sorting complex required for transport (ESCRT-0 to -III/VPS4) mediates this process. The general dogma has been that upstream ESCRTs (0 to II) sequester receptors at the surface of endosomes and the downstream ESCRTs (III/VPS4) remodel the endosome membrane leading to the abscission and formation of receptor-containing ILVs. We now show that upstream ESCRTs not only sequester cargo, but in addition play a crucial role for the initiation of membrane shape remodeling in ILV budding. Through a combination of mathematical modeling and experimental measurements we show that upstream ESCRTs facilitate ILV budding by crowding with a high density in the membrane neck region.

This talk is part of the Mechanics Lunch Seminar series. That means 20min talks plus discussion in an informal setting.

Zoom: To obtain the Zoom meeting details please contact Timo Koch (timokoch at math.uio.no).