Early Endosome Morphology in Health and Disease.
Early endosomes are organelles that receive macromolecules and solutes from the extracellular environment. The major function of early endosomes is to sort these cargos into recycling and degradative compartments of the cell. Degradation of the cargo involves maturation of early endosomes into late endosomes, which, after acquisition of hydrolytic enzymes, form lysosomes. Endosome maturation involves recruitment of specific proteins and lipids to the early endosomal membrane, which drives changes in endosome morphology. Defects in early endosome maturation are generally accompanied by alterations in morphology, such as increase in volume and/or number. Enlarged early endosomes have been observed in Alzheimer's disease and Niemann Pick Disease type C, which also exhibit defects in endocytic sorting. This article discusses the mechanisms that regulate early endosome morphology and highlights the potential importance of endosome maturation in the retinal pigment epithelium.
['Kaur|Gulpreet|G|', 'Lakkaraju|Aparna|A|']
D000544:Alzheimer Disease D000818:Animals D004195:Disease Models, Animal D004314:Down Syndrome D004705:Endocytosis D011992:Endosomes D006801:Humans D008268:Macular Degeneration D008561:Membrane Fusion D008563:Membrane Lipids D008565:Membrane Proteins D051379:Mice D008870:Microtubules D008954:Models, Biological D052556:Niemann-Pick Disease, Type C D001678:Organelle Biogenesis D021381:Protein Transport D000080362:Stargardt Disease D020691:rab GTP-Binding Proteins
Early endosome Endosome morphology Endosome maturation Age-related macular degeneration Enlarged endosome