Vesicles

Vesicles is a collective term for round cytoplasmic structures that are often too small to have distinct features when imaged by light microscopy. The majority of the vesicles are membrane-bound organelles, however, also large protein complexes and cytosolic bodies can fall under this category in the subcellular resource, as they are difficult to distinguish. Examples of organelles with a vesicle annotation are the members of the endolysosomal pathway, transport vesicles, peroxisomes, and lipid droplets.

In the subcellular resource, 2473 genes (12% of all protein-coding human genes) have been shown to encode proteins that localize to vesicles (Figure 2). A Gene Ontology (GO)-based functional enrichment analysis of genes encoding proteins that localize to vesicles shows enrichment of genes related to lipid metabolism, organization of vesicular organelles, protein transport, endocytosis and exocytosis. About 71% (n=1746) of the vesicle proteins localize to one or more additional compartments, with the plasma membrane, the endoplasmic reticulum, and the Golgi apparatus being over represented. Examples of proteins that localize to vesicles can be seen in Figure 1.


SNX1 - HeLa

CLTA - U-251MG

AP2B1 - U2OS

Figure 1. Examples of proteins localized to vesicles. SNX1 is part of the retromer complex that mediates the retrograde transport of cargo proteins from endosomes to the trans-Golgi network (TGN) and is involved in endosome-to-plasma membrane transport for cargo protein recycling (detected in HeLa cells). CLTA is a structural element in clathrin-coated vesicles, which are required for the receptor-mediated endocytosis at the plasma membrane (detected in U-251 MG cells). AP2B1 is a component of the adaptor protein complex 2, which is involved in clathrin-dependent endocytosis (detected in U2OS cells).

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%% genesNot mappedSecretedOther organellesVesicles

  • 12% (2473 proteins) of all human proteins have been experimentally detected in the vesicles by the Human Protein Atlas.
  • 512 proteins in the vesicles are supported by experimental evidence and out of these 114 proteins are enhanced by the Human Protein Atlas.
  • 1746 proteins in the vesicles have multiple locations.
  • 333 proteins in the vesicles show single cell variation.

  • Proteins are mainly involved in lipid metabolism, organization of vesicle organelles such as endosomes, vacuoles and peroxisomes, protein transport, endocytosis and exocytosis.

Figure 2. 12% of all human protein-coding genes encode proteins localized to vesicles. Each bar is clickable and gives a search result of proteins that belong to the selected category.

The structure of vesicles

Substructures

  • Vesicles: 2404
  • Peroxisomes: 24
  • Endosomes: 16
  • Lysosomes: 19
  • Lipid droplets: 40

The general structure of organelles annotated as vesicles is a round membrane-enclosed lumen that is less than 1 μm in diameter. There are a few differences in the appearance and distribution of vesicles that can allow further classification (Figure 3), but the true identity of the organelle is often only revealed by co-staining with specific marker proteins in immunofluorescence (IF) images.

Endosomes are membrane-bound compartments that can be further sub-classified into early, recycling, and late endosomes, but there is a continuous transition between these classes. Each of them can be defined by their function, by a distinct set of proteins, and/or by morphological differences. Early endosomes (EE) have a pleomorphic structure, consisting of cisternae from which two distinct subdomains emerge: large vesicular structures (300-400 nm diameter) with internal invaginations and thinner tubular extensions (60 nm diameter) (Gruenberg J. (2001)). Tubular extensions give rise to recycling endosomes (RE), which retain a tubular appearance and are typically located close to the microtubule organizing center (MTOC). The large vesicular compartments of early endosomes give rise to multivesicular bodies that mediate transport to, or matures into, late endosomes. Late endosomes (LE) are again highly complex, with cisternal, tubular, and vesicular regions with numerous membrane invaginations and luminal vesicles (Griffiths G et al. (1988)).

Lysosomes were discovered by the Belgian Nobel laureate de Duve in 1955 and are named after the richness in hydrolytic enzymes. Lysosomes have a tubular morphology of about 0.1-1.2 μm in size and a characteristic acidic pH-value of 4.5-5, which is ideal for the enzymes contained in the lysosomal lumen. The membrane of lysosomes is rich in glycoproteins and consists of an unusual lipid composition that provides protection from the digestive enzymes (Schwake M et al. (2013)).

Peroxisomes were also discovered by de Duve, but not until 1966, and he named them so because of their involvement in peroxidase reactions. Peroxisomes originate from the ER, but they are also able to replicate themselves by division. They differ in size from 0.1-1 μm and have a dynamic structure. The shape is usually spherical, but can change and become more elongated prior to peroxisome division or in adaptation to different conditions, which can help to distinguish peroxisomes from other vesicles in IF (Smith JJ et al. (2013)).

Lipid droplets (LDs) have been known for a long time, but were long believed to be a rather inert storage for lipids. The discovery of the first LD-associated protein in 1991 by Londos and coworkers (Greenberg AS et al. (1991)) changed this view, and today LDs are considered organelles. LDs originate from the ER and have a simple, yet conserved structure: a hydrophobic core containing lipids surrounded by a membrane monolayer (instead of a bilayer found in all other organelles) to which proteins are attached (Walther TC et al. (2012)). The size of LDs ranges from hundreds of nanometers to the single 100 micrometer large LD that fills adipocytes. Under normal conditions, cells have no or only a few small LDs, but if those few LDs are large enough, LD-associated proteins appear in perfectly round rings and the protein location can be annotated more precisely.

A list of proteins that are suitable as markers for vesicles can be found in Table 1. Highly expressed genes encoding proteins that localize to vesicles are listed in Table 2.

Table 1. Selection of proteins suitable as markers for different vesicular organelles.

Gene
Description
Substructure
ANKFY1 Ankyrin repeat and FYVE domain containing 1 Endosomes
RAB5C RAB5C, member RAS oncogene family Endosomes
AGPS Alkylglycerone phosphate synthase Peroxisomes
ACBD5 Acyl-CoA binding domain containing 5 Peroxisomes
RAB7A RAB7A, member RAS oncogene family Lysosomes
Primary cilium transition zone
PLIN3 Perilipin 3 Lipid droplets

Table 2. Highly expressed single localizing proteins with a vesicular staining across different cell lines.

Gene
Description
Average nTPM
CD63 CD63 molecule 952
PSAP Prosaposin 939
PPA1 Inorganic pyrophosphatase 1 277
CD24 CD24 molecule 253
TMED2 Transmembrane p24 trafficking protein 2 221
CTSC Cathepsin C 194
RAB5C RAB5C, member RAS oncogene family 179
PICALM Phosphatidylinositol binding clathrin assembly protein 164
LAMTOR4 Late endosomal/lysosomal adaptor, MAPK and MTOR activator 4 160
CTSA Cathepsin A 158


RAB5C - U2OS

LAMTOR4 - U2OS

ABCD3 - A-431


PLIN3 - A-431

EPS15L1 - MCF-7

REX1BD - U2OS

Figure 3. Examples of the different types of vesicles found in the subcellular resource. Endosomal protein RAB5C in U2OS cells. Lysosomal protein LAMTOR4 in U2OS cells. Peroxisomal protein ABCD3 in A-431 cells. LD-associated protein PLIN3 in A-431 cells. Clathrin-coated vesicle protein EPS15L1 in MCF7 cells. Vesicle-front forming protein REX1BD in U2OS cells.


Figure 4. 3D-view of peroxisomes in U2OS, visualized by immunofluorescent staining of ABCD3. The morphology of Endosomes, Lysosomes, and Peroxisomes in human induced stem cells can be seen in the Allen Cell Explorer.

The function of vesicles

The function of vescles varies with their type. Endocytosis is a process by which cells internalize extracellular solutes, ligands and proteins as well as lipids and proteins located in the plasma membrane (Gruenberg J. (2001)). Endocytic vesicles are typically transported to early endosomes, where efficient sorting takes place. Some lipids and membrane proteins are recycled back to the plasma membrane, either by direct routes or via recycling endosomes (Taguchi T. (2013)). Other cargo molecules enter the retrograde pathway and are delivered to the Golgi apparatus (Bonifacino JS et al. (2006)). Proteins and lipids destined for degradation are instead transported to late endosomes, which then fuse with lysosomes. Lysosomes also receive materials taken up from the cytosol by autophagy, and contain a large spectrum of enzymes for degrading both proteins, nucleic acids and carbohydrates.

Peroxisomes are multifunctional organelles that harbor a variety of enzymes. The main function of peroxisomes is β-oxidation of long- and very long-chain fatty acids. They also contribute to the utilization and production of reactive oxygen species in the cell. In addition, peroxisomes carry out other important anabolic and catabolic reactions, such as phospholipid biosynthesis, chemical detoxification or oxidation of purines, polyamines, and some amino acids (Antonenkov VD et al. (2010)).

Nearly all cells are able to form LDs and use them as the main storage site for cellular neutral lipids. These lipids, which are mainly triacylglycerol and cholesterol, are utilized for the generation of energy and serve as building blocks for the synthesis of other lipids. LDs have been linked to a growing number of diseases, but most prominent is their role in obesity and diabetes (Walther TC et al. (2012)).

Gene Ontology (GO)-based enrichment analysis of genes encoding proteins that localize to vesicles reveals several functions associated with this group of organelles. The highly enriched terms for the GO domain Biological Process are mainly related to structural organization and function of various vesicles, vesicle-mediated transport, lipid metabolism, antigen presentation and certain cell signaling pathways (Figure 5a). For the GO domain Molecular Function, genes encoding vesicle proteins are enriched for functions related to transporter activity, lipid transfer activity, receptor binding and receptor activities, and binding to proteins that are involved in vesicle formation and fusion, such as clathrin and SNARES (Figure 5b).

0.00.51.01.52.02.53.03.54.04.55.05.56.06.5Fold EnrichmentClathrin coat assemblyEther lipid metabolic processRegulation of macrophage cyt...Peroxisome organizationTranscytosisUbiquitin-dependent protein ...Positive regulation of TOR s...Viral buddingLipid storageMultivesicular body sorting ...Endosomal transportRegulation of neuroinflammat...Antigen processing and prese...Ferric iron transportTrivalent inorganic cation t...Regulation of pathway-restri...Vesicle organizationNegative regulation of ERBB ...Rab protein signal transductionCellular lipid catabolic pro...Negative chemotaxisVesicle-mediated transport t...Regulation of postsynaptic m...Regulation of glucose importPigmentationCollagen metabolic processRegulation of protein locali...Receptor metabolic processLiposaccharide metabolic pro...Extracellular structure orga...Lipid homeostasisRegulation of lipid localiza...Neutrophil mediated immunityOrganic hydroxy compound bio...Receptor-mediated endocytosisVacuole organizationGlycosaminoglycan metabolic ...AutophagyProcess utilizing autophagic...Locomotory behaviorMonovalent inorganic cation ...Mesenchymal cell differentia...Response to nutrient levelsRegulation of synapse struct...Synapse organizationPost-translational protein m...Negative regulation of hydro...Regulation of neuron project...Glycoprotein metabolic processShow full plot

Figure 5a Gene Ontology-based enrichment analysis for the vesicles proteome showing the significantly enriched terms for the GO domain Biological Process. Each bar is clickable and gives a search result of proteins that belong to the selected category.

01234567Fold EnrichmentSodium:chloride symporter ac...Intermembrane cholesterol tr...Intermembrane sterol transfe...Clathrin bindingSterol transporter activityTransforming growth factor b...Proteoglycan bindingCollagen bindingCargo receptor activitySNARE bindingGrowth factor activityRab GTPase bindingExtracellular matrix structu...Phospholipid bindingSulfur compound bindingReceptor ligand activity

Figure 5b Gene Ontology-based enrichment analysis for the vesicles proteome showing the significantly enriched terms for the GO domain Molecular Function. Each bar is clickable and gives a search result of proteins that belong to the selected category.

Vesicle proteins with multiple locations

Approximately 71% (n=1746) of the proteins that localize to vesicles in the subcellular resource also localize to other compartments in the cell. The network plot (Figure 6) shows that the additional locations that are overrepresented in combination with vesicles are the plasma membrane, the ER, and the Golgi apparatus. Given the function of vesicles, co-localization of proteins to the plasma membraneER and Golgi apparatus is in agreement with their role in the secretory pathway. Examples of multilocalizing proteins within the proteome of vesicles can be seen in Figure 7.

Figure 6. Interactive network plot of vesicle-associated proteins with multiple localizations. The numbers in the connecting nodes show the proteins that are localized to vesicles and to one or more additional locations. Only connecting nodes containing east 1.0% of the proteins in the vesicle proteome are shown. The circle sizes are related to the number of proteins. The cyan colored nodes show combinations that are significantly overrepresented, while magenta colored nodes show combinations that are significantly underrepresented as compared to the probability of observing that combination based on the frequency of each annotation and a hypergeometric test (p≤0.05). Note that this calculation is only done for proteins with dual localizations. Each node is clickable and results in a list of all proteins that are found in the connected organelles.


VTI1B - U2OS

GPRC5A - U2OS

EPN3 - HaCaT

Figure 7. Examples of multilocalizing proteins in the vesicle proteome. The examples show common or overrepresented combinations for multilocalizing proteins in the proteome. VTI1B promotes the fusion of vesicles with the target membrane at the Golgi apparatus (detected in U2OS cells). GPRC5A, detected at the plasma membrane and vesicles, is an orphan receptor, which might be involved in the interaction between retinoic acid and G-protein signaling pathways (detected in U2OS cells). EPN3 co-localizes with clathrin-coated vesicles and shuttles into the nucleus (detected in HaCaT cells).

Expression levels of vesicle proteins in tissue

Transcriptome analysis and classification of genes into tissue distribution categories (Figure 8) shows that a larger portion of genes that encode proteins localizing to vesicles are detected in some or in many tissues, while a smaller portion are detected in all tissues or non-detected, compared to all genes presented in the subcellular resource. This may reflect a variety of partially tissue-specific functions involving vesicle proteins, particularly in the transport of secretory proteins and other biomolecules to the extracellular space.

****Detected in singleDetected in someDetected in manyDetected in allNot detected0.0102030405060708090100%VesiclesAll localized genes

Figure 8. Bar plot showing the percentage of genes in different tissue distribution categories for vesicle-associated protein-coding genes, compared to all genes in the subcellular resource. Asterisk marks a statistically significant deviation (p≤0.05) in the number of genes in a category based on a binomial statistical test. Each bar is clickable and gives a search result of proteins that belong to the selected category.

Relevant links and publications

Gruenberg J., The endocytic pathway: a mosaic of domains. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol. (2001)
PubMed: 11584299 DOI: 10.1038/35096054

Griffiths G et al., The mannose 6-phosphate receptor and the biogenesis of lysosomes. Cell. (1988)
PubMed: 2964276 

Schwake M et al., Lysosomal membrane proteins and their central role in physiology. Traffic. (2013)
PubMed: 23387372 DOI: 10.1111/tra.12056

Smith JJ et al., Peroxisomes take shape. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol. (2013)
PubMed: 24263361 DOI: 10.1038/nrm3700

Greenberg AS et al., Perilipin, a major hormonally regulated adipocyte-specific phosphoprotein associated with the periphery of lipid storage droplets. J Biol Chem. (1991)
PubMed: 2040638 

Walther TC et al., Lipid droplets and cellular lipid metabolism. Annu Rev Biochem. (2012)
PubMed: 22524315 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-biochem-061009-102430

Taguchi T., Emerging roles of recycling endosomes. J Biochem. (2013)
PubMed: 23625997 DOI: 10.1093/jb/mvt034

Bonifacino JS et al., Retrograde transport from endosomes to the trans-Golgi network. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol. (2006)
PubMed: 16936697 DOI: 10.1038/nrm1985

Antonenkov VD et al., Peroxisomes are oxidative organelles. Antioxid Redox Signal. (2010)
PubMed: 19958170 DOI: 10.1089/ars.2009.2996