GTPase modes modeled

SNX1 chooses its home via two membrane-binding domains. One targeting domain is the PX domain, which is known to bind to the endosomal phosphoinositide, PI3P. The second is a BAR domain, which was shown to target a fly protein to highly curved membranes and tubulate them. Cullen’s group shows that these domains combine to put mammalian SNX1 on the tubular portion of early endosomes (which also have less curved vesicular domains). This placement was needed to recycle a mannose-6-phosphate receptor from endosomes to the TGN. The cargo is probably selected by the retromer complex, which associates with SNX1. TGN localization (top) of a receptor (green) is lost when SNX1 (blue) is missing (bottom). C U LL EN / EL SE VI ER