Molecular and genetic characterization of the interactions between the Drosophila stoned-B protein and DAP-160 (intersectin).

The stoned locus of Drosophila produces a dicistronic transcript and encodes two proteins, stoned-A (STNA) and stoned-B (STNB). Both proteins are located at synaptic terminals. The STNB protein contains a domain that has homology with the mu-subunit of the AP (adaptor protein) complex, as well as a number of NPF (Asp-Pro-Phe) motifs known to bind EH (Eps15 homology) domains. Mutations at the stoned locus interact synergistically with mutations at the shibire (dynamin) locus and alter synaptic vesicle endocytosis. The STNB protein has also been shown to interact with synaptic vesicles via synaptogamin-I. We initiated an investigation of the possible interaction of DAP-160 (dynamin-associated protein of 160 kDa), a Drosophila member of the intersectin family, with the STNB protein. We show here that both of the viable stoned alleles interacted with a genetic construct that reduces DAP-160 levels to 25% of normal. One of these stoned alleles contains a substitution resulting in a stop codon in the open reading frame encoding STNB. This allele also shows markedly reduced levels of both DAP-160 and dynamin. As anticipated, the NPF motifs in STNB are found to be high-affinity binding motifs for the EH domains of DAP-160. One of the SH3 (Src homology 3) domains of DAP-160 also interacts with STNB. Finally, we show that immunoprecipitation of STNB from fly head extracts co-precipitates with DAP-160, and we conclude that the interaction of the STNB protein with both synaptotagmin I and DAP-160 may regulate synaptic vesicle recycling by recruiting dynamin to a pre-fission complex.