Leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) variants associated with Parkinson's disease (PD) and Crohn's disease lead to increased phosphorylation of its Rab substrates. While it has been recently shown that perturbations in cellular homeostasis including lysosomal damage can increase LRRK2 activity and localization to lysosomes, the molecular mechanisms by which LRRK2 activity is regulated have remained poorly defined. We performed a targeted siRNA screen to identify regulators of LRRK2 activity and identified Rab12 as a novel modulator of LRRK2-dependent phosphorylation of one of its substrates, Rab10. Using a combination of imaging and immunopurification methods to isolate lysosomes, we demonstrated that Rab12 is actively recruited to damaged lysosomes and leads to a local and LRRK2-dependent increase in Rab10 phosphorylation. PD-linked variants, including LRRK2 R1441G and VPS35 D620N, lead to increased recruitment of LRRK2 to the lysosome and a local elevation in lysosomal levels of pT73 Rab10. Together, these data suggest a conserved mechanism by which Rab12, in response to damage or expression of PD-associated variants, facilitates the recruitment of LRRK2 and phosphorylation of its Rab substrate(s) at the lysosome.
Keywords: LRRK2; Parkinson's disease; Rab12; cell biology; human; lysosomal damage.
Lysosomes are cellular compartments tasked with breaking down large molecules such as lipids or proteins. They perform an essential role in helping cells dispose of obsolete or harmful components; in fact, defects in lysosome function are associated with a range of health conditions. For instance, many genes associated with an increased risk of developing Parkinson’s disease code for proteins required for lysosomes to work properly, such as the kinase LRRK2. Previous work has shown that this enzyme gets recruited to the surface of damaged lysosomes, where it can modulate the function of another set of molecular actors by modifying them through a chemical process known as phosphorylation. Such activity is increased in harmful versions of LRRK2 linked to Parkinson’s disease. However, the molecular mechanisms which control LRRK2 activity or its recruitment to lysosomes remain unclear. To examine this question, Wang, Bondar et al. first performed a targeted screen to identify proteins that can regulate LRRK2 activity. This revealed that Rab12, one of molecular actors that LRRK2 phosphorylates, can in turn modulate the activity of the enzyme. Further imaging and biochemical experiments then showed that Rab12 is recruited to damaged lysosomes and that this step was in fact necessary for LRRK2 to also relocate to these compartments. The data suggest that this Rab12-driven recruitment process increases the local concentration of LRRK2 near its Rab targets on the membrane of damaged lysosomes, and therefore leads to enhanced LRRK2 activity. Crucially, Wang, Bondar et al. showed that Rab12 also plays a role in the increased LRRK2 activity observed with two Parkinson’s disease-linked mutations (one in LRRK2 itself and one in another lysosomal regulator, VPS35), suggesting that increased LRRK2 concentration on lysosomes may be a conserved mechanism that leads to increased LRRK2 activity in disease. Overall, these results highlight a new, Rab12-dependent mechanism that results in enhanced activity at the lysosomal membrane with variants associated with Parkinson’s disease, and for LRRK2 in general when lysosomes are damaged. This knowledge will be helpful to develop therapeutic strategies that target LRRK2, and to better understand how increased LRRK2 activity and lysosomal injury may be linked to Parkinson’s disease.
© 2023, Wang, Bondar et al.