Figure 1

Schematic visualization of endocytic routes adopted by various GPI-Anchored proteins and other endocytic markers. A) Various membrane resident proteins and lipids like FR-GPI, prions, LRP, uPAR, cholesterol, sphingolipids and cholera-toxin bound to GM1 are present in a diffuse distribution in the plasma membrane. B) GPI-APs like FR-GPI align with cholesterol and sphingolipids to form lateral aggregates termed as rafts. uPAR and prion proteins, although GPI-anchored, interact with LRP and are endocytosed into the clathrin-coated pits. The interaction of the protein domains of uPAR and Prion with LRP seems to override the influence of the lateral segregation into rafts mediated by the GPI-anchor of these proteins. LRP has signal sequences in the cytoplasmic domain for recruitment into clathrin-coated pits. C and D) Raft-included markers like FR-GPI and cholera toxin bound to GM1 are endocytosed into GEECs whereas uPAR:LRP and prion;LRP complexes are endocytosed into vacuoles derived from clathrin-coated pits.