A team led by Assistant Professor Lu Lei found that amino acids or nutrient can regulate the intracellular membrane trafficking. They elucidated the underlying molecular signaling pathway.
Abstract
Nutrient is the most fundamental resource for the growth and proliferation of cells. Cells must have evolved a sophisticated regulatory network to coordinate their intracellular activities according to the availability of environmental nutrient. However, it is currently unknown if nutrient regulates intracellular membrane trafficking. We discovered that amino acids can stimulate the endocytic Golgi trafficking and regulate the cell surface presentation of certain receptors.
We have identified a mechanistic connection between the amino acid signaling and the endocytic trafficking, whereby SLC38A9 and v-ATPase sense amino acids and Ragulator functions as a guanine nucleotide exchange factor to activate Arl5, which, together with GARP, a tethering factor, probably facilitates the endosome-to-Golgi trafficking.
Click here to read the full research paper on Nature Communications.