Previous studies have demonstrated that CIN85 participates in clathrin-mediated endocytosis by linking Cbl-Cbl-b/EGF receptor complexes to endophilins (Dikic,
2002 
,
2003 
;
Soubeyran et al., 2002 
;
Szymkiewicz et al., 2002 
), and undergoing lysosomal degradation together with receptors (
Haglund et al., 2002 
). In addition to participating in the Cbl/CIN85/endophilin pathway, CIN85 and its homologue CMS/CD2AP have been shown to associate with other endocytic proteins, including Grb2, p85 subunit of PI3-kinase, Crk, p130Cas, and cortactin (
Dikic, 2002 
;
Lynch et al., 2003 
). More recently, we have identified an unconventional proline/arginine PxxxPR motif, critical for interactions of the SH3 domains of CIN85 with Cbl and Cbl-b (
Kowanetz et al., 2003a 
). This report provides new insights into a dynamic PxxxPR-containing protein network assembled by the scaffold protein CIN85 and emphasizes its role in controlling multiple levels of EGF receptor endocytosis. Using the yeast two-hybrid system and by screening public data bases for proteins containing specific PxxxPR motif, we have identified numerous endocytic effectors. Subsequently, we confirmed the existence of CIN85/PxxxPR-motif-containing protein complexes in mammalian cells (). Furthermore, multiple interactions mediated via the SH3 domains of CIN85 resulted in prominent clustering of its effectors, thereby increasing their local concentrations and possibly ensuring proper coordination of receptor trafficking (). Additionally, some of the effectors, e.g., ASAP1 and ARAP3, were heterologously clustered by the SH3 domains of CIN85 (). Similar cooperative function of multiple SH3 domains leading to clustering of Cbl and other effectors has been demonstrated in the case of other adaptors, e.g., Nck (
Wunderlich et al., 1999 
) and ArgBP2 (
Soubeyran et al., 2003 
).
The scaffolding properties of CIN85 allow for formation of high-molecular-weight CIN85-associated complexes in mammalian cells (). Whereas certain proteins constitutively associate with CIN85, binding of Cbl, Dab2, and synaptojanin 2B1 is rapidly modulated by growth factor stimulation () (
Soubeyran et al., 2002 
;
Kowanetz et al., 2003b 
), leading to formation of distinct CIN85-associated protein networks in a cell. These various complexes assembled around CIN85-SH3 domains can differently influence the fate of internalized receptor () (
Soubeyran et al., 2002 
). Importantly, the relatively low affinity of individual CIN85 SH3 domain-PxxxPR interactions (
Kowanetz et al., 2003a 
) also could allow for rapid exchange of CIN85 binding partners, depending on their local concentration, cellular compartmentalization, or posttranslational modifications in response to changes in the environment, such as tyrosine phosphorylation of Cbl (
Soubeyran et al., 2002 
;
Kowanetz et al., 2003b 
). The ability of CIN85 to dynamically exchange its effectors could ensure that cargo is appropriately moved through the different stages of the endocytic pathway.
The specific proteins with which CIN85 interacts are consistent with its function as a regulator of progress through the endocytic pathway. However, the contribution of individual CIN85-SH3 domains binding events to EGF receptor trafficking is difficult to assess, given the functional redundancy of CIN85 binding partners and their dynamic exchange on multiple SH3 domains along the endocytic compartment. The functional importance of these interactions is emphasized by the fact that presence of intact CIN85 SH3 domains is critical for sorting of activated EGF receptors for lysosomal degradation (
Kowanetz et al., 2003a 
).
One group of CIN85-interacting endocytic effectors, inositol 5′ phosphatases (synaptojanin 2B1 and SHIP-1), is implicated in membrane dynamics by controlling concentration of phosphoinositides (
De Camilli et al., 1996 
). Synaptojanins have been found in complexes with numerous endocytic proteins, including endophilin or amphiphysins (
Micheva et al., 1997 
). Synaptojanin 1, due to its ability to dephosphorylate phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate to phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate, has been proposed to function as a negative regulator of interactions between coat proteins and membrane phospholipids (
McPherson et al., 1996 
;
Cremona et al., 1999 
;
Guo et al., 1999 
). On the other hand, siRNA-mediated decrease in synaptojanin 2 levels had an inhibitory effect on EGF receptor endocytosis, suggesting that synaptojanin 1 and 2 do not have a completely overlapping function (
Rusk et al., 2003 
). The PxxxPR motif is present in ubiquitously expressed synaptojanins 2, as well as in brain-specific synaptojanin 1; however, we have not detected CIN85/synaptojanin 1 complex formation (our unpublished observations). It is therefore likely that different functions of synaptojanins 1 and 2, which share the same catalytic activity, are dependent on their specific binding partners. Overexpression of synaptojanin 2B1, but not its R1249A mutant, increased the amount of CIN85 found in the complex with activated EGF receptor (our unpublished data), and therefore synaptojanin 2, similarly to Cbl, provides an inducible link between CIN85 and receptor (), possibly controlling early stages of receptor trafficking. This additional interaction could provide an explanation why carboxyl terminal truncations of Cbl have only a partial inhibitory effect on the EGFR internalization (
Soubeyran et al., 2002 
). It will be of interest to further investigate the function of CIN85/synaptojanins complexes in EGFR endocytosis.
Another role CIN85 may play in regulation of EGF receptor trafficking could be to bridge endocytic events with cytoskeletal changes via its interactions with Hip1R, ARAP3, and ASAP1. CIN85-mediated clustering of Hip1R () could have a dual function both in assembly of clathrin-coated vesicles and also linking receptor internalization with locally regulated actin rearrangements (Engqvist-Goldstein
et al.,
1999 
,
2001 
). ARAP3 contains a Rho GAP domain that is able to inactivate Rho family proteins (
Krugmann et al., 2002 
). On the other hand, CIN85 binds directly to p115 Rho GEF, an activator of RhoGTPases (
Hart et al., 1998 
). CIN85 may thus regulate positively and negatively the activity of Rho GTPases and thereby coordinate changes in membranes and actin that are necessary for proper maturation and movement of endosomes and transport vesicles
CIN85 has a potential to elicit similar functions by affecting Arf family proteins, established regulators of membrane traffic and cytoskeletal dynamics (
Randazzo et al., 2000b 
). Arfs are regulated by nucleotide exchange factors that activate Arf, and GAPs that inactivate Arf (
Randazzo et al., 2000b 
). Two phosphoinositide-dependent Arf GAPs, ASAP1 and ARAP3, sharing structural motifs such as a PH domain and ankyrin repeats in addition to the ArfGAP domain, are constitutively associated with CIN85 (Figures and ) and importantly can be found in one complex due to interactions mediated by multiple SH3 domains of CIN85 (). Both ASAP1 and ARAP subfamily Arf GAPs have been found to regulate actin cytoskeletal structures (
Randazzo et al., 2000a 
;
Krugmann et al., 2002 
;
Miura et al., 2002 
) and membrane trafficking in the cell periphery (Nie, Hirsch, and Randazzo, unpublished observations). Interestingly, CIN85 overexpression resulted in the recruitment of ASAP1 to the vesicular structures in cells (). Although we could not demonstrate any effect of ASAP1 on EGFR internalization, we have observed that overexpression of wild-type ASAP1 led to an increase in the rate of EGF receptor recycling (). Importantly, overexpression of ASAP1 R1041A impaired in its ability to bind to CIN85 and decreased the rate of receptor recycling below the control levels (), implying that it exerts a dominant interfering effect on receptor recycling. The described effects were specific for the ligand induced recycling of the EGF receptors to the plasma membrane, as the constitutive recycling of transferrin receptors was not influenced by the presence of ASAP1 (). Thus, our data suggest an important role for the CIN85/ASAP1 complex in directing receptors toward recycling pathways. Remarkably, the focal contacts formation at a leading edge of a moving cell involves, in addition to actin rearrangements, recycling of the membrane internalized from the cell surface (
de Curtis, 2001 
;
Turner and Brown, 2001 
). ASAP1 could therefore, similarly to the Arf GAPs of the GIT family (
Matafora et al., 2001 
), be involved both in focal contact formation as well as in membrane recycling via its interaction with CIN85.
The C-terminal tail of CIN85 contains a coiled-coil region that seems to be critical for oligomerization of CIN85 in mammalian cells (
Watanabe et al., 2000 
). Interestingly, this motif is present in numerous endocytic proteins, including Eps-15, amphiphysin, EEA1, Hrs, or SNARE (
Stenmark et al., 1996 
;
Wigge et al., 1997 
;
Burkhard et al., 2001 
;
Raiborg et al., 2001 
). The coiled-coil region of CIN85 also is engaged in heterologous interactions with several endocytic effectors, such as Hip1R and amphiphysins 1 and 2 (our unpublished data). Additionally, the presence of an intact coiled-coil is critical for formation of large CIN85-bound protein complexes (). Therefore, the coiled-coil-mediated homo- and heterooligomerization of CIN85 might further promote receptor clustering in the vesicular compartments and ensure its proper trafficking.
It is becoming obvious that endocytosis of transmembrane receptors is governed by specific scaffold proteins able to coordinate extensive networks of protein-protein interactions. For example, β-arrestins and SARA proteins control down-regulation of their respective receptors, G protein-coupled receptors or transforming growth factor-β receptors (
Tsukazaki et al., 1998 
;
Hall and Lefkowitz, 2002 
). Our results indicate that multiple steps in EGF receptor down-regulation are controlled by a protein network assembled through the endocytic scaffold CIN85. Analogous function has been ascribed to intersectin, an adaptor protein implicated in the regulation of clathrin-mediated endocytosis (
Yamabhai et al., 1998 
). Interestingly, the two carboxyl-terminal SH3 domains of intersectin share >50% homology with the SH3 domains of CIN85, which places them among the most closely related SH3 domain sequences found in the public databases. Structural and functional similarities between CIN85 and intersectin open intriguing questions regarding their potential cooperation in orchestrating dynamic assembly of endocytic proteins around receptor complexes.