Nde1 is a Rab9 effector for loading late endosomes to cytoplasmic dynein motor complex.
Zhang, Y., Chen, Z., Wang, F., Sun, H., Zhu, X., Ding, J., Zhang, T.(2022) Structure 30: 386-395.e5
- PubMed: 34793709 
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.str.2021.10.013
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:  
7E1T - PubMed Abstract: 
Rab9 is mainly located on late endosomes and required for their intracellular transport to trans-Golgi network (TGN). The cytoplasmic dynein motor, together with its regulatory proteins Nde1/Ndel1 and Lis1, controls intracellular retrograde transport of membranous organelles along the microtubule network. How late endosomes are tethered to the microtubule-based motor dynein for their retrograde transport remains unclear. Here, we demonstrate that the guanosine triphosphate (GTP)-bound Rab9A/B specifically uses Nde1/Ndel1 as an effector to interact with the dynein motor complex. We determined the crystal structure of Rab9A-GTP in complex with the Rab9-binding region of Nde1. The functional roles of key residues involved in the Rab9A-Nde1 interaction are verified using biochemical and cell biology assays. Rab9A mutants unable to bind to Nde1 also failed to associate with dynein, Lis1, and dynactin. Therefore, Nde1 is a Rab9 effector that tethers Rab9-associated late endosomes to the dynein motor for their retrograde transport to the TGN.
Organizational Affiliation: 
Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 320 Yue-Yang Road, Shanghai 200031, China.