Involvement of a membrane-bound form of glutamate dehydrogenase in the association of lysosomes to microtubules.

A 50-kDa membrane protein corresponding to a membrane-bound isoform of glutamate dehydrogenase was proposed as a molecular species that could mediate lysosome-microtubule interactions. This protein, isolated from purified lysosome membranes, is a peripheral membrane protein with an ATP-dependent microtubule binding activity. We have produced antibodies against the purified 50-kDa protein to investigate its role in the association of lysosomes to microtubules using a cell-free reconstitution assay and cell microinjection. Pretreatment of purified lysosomes with the antibodies inhibited the association of these vesicles to microtubules. The blocking effect of antibodies was demonstrated by a differential sedimentation method and negative staining electron microscopy, allowing us to quantify the amount of microtubules interacting with lysosomes and the proportion of lysosomes bound to microtubules, respectively. Affinity-purified antibodies microinjected into intact cells altered the distribution of lysosomes that appeared less clustered in the vicinity of nuclei. The antibody-induced lysosome dispersion was assessed by quantitative videomicroscope analyses. These data show that the 50-kDa membrane protein could act, through its microtubule binding activity, as a molecule of attachment of lysosomes to microtubules. This membrane-bound isoform of glutamate dehydrogenase could be involved in the microtubule-dependent perinuclear localization of lysosomes.