Mechanisms regulating the positioning of mouse p47 resistance GTPases LRG-47 and IIGP1 on cellular membranes: Retargeting to plasma membrane induced by phagocytosis

The recently identified p47 GTPases are one of the most effective cell-autonomous resistance systems known against intracellular pathogens in the mouse. One member of the family, LRG-47, has been shown to be essential for immune control in vivo of Listeria monocytogenes, Toxoplasma gondii, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and Mycobacterium avium, possibly by promoting acidification of the phagosome. However, the intracellular localization of LRG-47, and the nature of its association with the phagosomal or any other membrane system is unknown. In this study, we show that LRG-47 is a Golgi-associated protein in the IFN-stimulated cell, which is rapidly recruited to active plasma membrane upon phagocytosis and remains associated with phagosomes as they mature. We show that the Golgi localization of LRG-47 is dependent on the integrity of an amphipathic helix near the C terminus, whereas the plasma membrane localization depends on an unidentified signal associated with the G domain. Unlike LRG-47, but like the published p47 resistance GTPase, IGTP, a further p47 GTPase, IIGP1, is associated with the endoplasmic reticulum. However, unlike IGTP, IIGP1 is associated with the endoplasmic reticulum by an N-terminal myristoylation modification. Thus, the p47 GTPases are a diverse battery of intracellular defense factors dynamically associated with different membrane systems.