Human VPS34 and p150 are rab7 interacting partners

Regulation of membrane trafficking requires the concerted actions of rab proteins, their effectors and several phosphatidylinositol 3'-kinases. Rab7 is required for late endosomal transport and here we establish that the phosphatidylinositol 3'-kinase hVPS34 and its adaptor protein p150 are rab7 interacting partners. The hVPS34/p150 complex colocalized with rab7 on late endosomes and hVPS34 activity was dependent on nucleotide cycling of rab7. In addition, total cellular phosphatidylinositol 3'-phosphate levels were modulated by rab7 expression, suggesting that rab7 activation impacted kinase cycling to early endosomes. The data identify rab7 as an important regulator of late endosomal hVPS34 function and link rab7 to the regulation of phosphatidylinositol 3'-kinase cycling between early and late endosomes.