Spatio-temporal regulation of endocytic protein assembly by SH3 domains in yeast

Clathrin-mediated endocytosis is a conserved eukaryotic membrane trafficking pathway that is driven by a sequentially assembled molecular machinery that contains over 60 different proteins. SH3 domains are the most abundant protein-protein interaction domain in this process, but the function of most SH3 domains in protein dynamics remains elusive. Using mutagenesis and live-cell fluorescence microscopy in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, we dissected SH3-mediated regulation of the endocytic pathway. Our data suggest that multiple SH3 domains regulate the actin nucleation promoting Las17/Vrp1 complex, and that the network of SH3 interactions coordinate both Las17/Vrp1 assembly and dissociation. Furthermore, most endocytic SH3 domain proteins use the SH3 domain for their own recruitment, while a minority uses the SH3 domain to recruit other proteins, and not themselves. Our results provide a dynamic map of SH3 functions in yeast endocytosis and a framework for SH3 interaction network studies across biology.