Endosome-associated Rab GTPases control distinct aspects of neural circuit assembly

Abstract

Neural circuit assembly relies on the precise regulation of cell-surface receptors that mediate signaling and adhesion. Endocytosis controls receptor activity and availability by internalizing and routing proteins through two main pathways: recycling back to the cell-surface or delivery to lysosomes for degradation. Rab GTPases direct receptors into these distinct pathways, but their specific contributions to circuit formation remain opaque. Using clonal analyses with null alleles, we dissected the roles of Rab-mediated trafficking to early, late, and recycling endosomes across multiple stages of circuit assembly in vivo. Our approach revealed that Rab5 and Rab11 regulate extensive and largely distinct developmental events, highlighting the pivotal roles of early endosome sorting and recycling pathways in circuit assembly. As neurons mature, both the spatial distribution and abundance of specific endocytic compartments change to reflect evolving trafficking demands. Our findings underscore how distinct post-endocytic trafficking fates are necessary to build neural circuits.