Phosphoglycerate kinase 1 cooperates with the AP2 complex to promote endocytosis.

Phosphoglycerate kinase 1 (PGK1) acts as a co-adaptor with the AP2 complex, enhancing cargo recognition and promoting endocytosis independently of its enzymatic activity.

• Why it matters: Understanding how adaptor proteins coordinate cargo recognition is crucial for elucidating intracellular transport mechanisms, which are vital for cell function and signaling.
• What they did: The study used biochemical and cellular approaches to demonstrate that PGK1 directly interacts with cargoes and stabilizes the AP2 complex, forming a novel coat protein complex involved in endocytosis.
• The result: This discovery reveals PGK1’s dual role as a cargo adaptor and AP2 stabilizer, providing new insights into the regulation of endocytosis and potential targets for modulating cellular uptake processes.