The Role of ALIX during Multivesicular Body Biogenesis

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The rate at which cells grow and divide is controlled by signals from their environment. Amongst the most important of these is in the form of circulating small proteins called growth factors. These bind to receptors located on the cell's outer surface (or membrane), causing them to alter their pattern of interactions with molecules inside the cell that control cell growth. Growth factor receptors therefore act as essential bridges between the cell exterior and interior. In order to prevent responses continuing in an uncontrolled fashion, receptors must be removed from the cell surface shortly after growth factor binding and sent to a specialised cellular compartment called the lysosome, where they are degraded. Receptors first move from the cell surface to an internal, membrane-enclosed compartment called the endosome. Here the receptor is concentrated into regions of membrane that bud inwardly into the content space of the endosome, and are then directed to the lysosome. Precisely how inward budding occurs is not known. This proposal aims to dissect the molecular mechanisms underlying this process by using a range of cell biological and biochemical techniques.