Endocytosis and intracellular sorting of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)

The EGFR is an extensively characterized receptor tyrosine kinase. Upon ligand induced activation, the EGFR becomes endocytosed from clathrin coated pits.

In early endosomes the EGFR is sorted, either for recycling back to the plasma membrane, or for translocation to internal membranes of multivesicular late endosomes and further transport to lysosomes for degradation.

The endocytosis and intracellular sorting of the EGFR is under strict control both by covalent modifications of the EGFR itself and by the recruitment of EGFR interacting proteins.

We are currently studying how EGFR modifications, especially ligand induced ubiquitination, affect its endocytosis and intracellular sorting.