Reciprocal Regulation of Endocytosis and Metabolism

The cellular uptake of many nutrients and micronutrients governs both their cellular availability and their systemic homeostasis. The cellular rate of nutrient or ion uptake (e.g., glucose, Fe(3+), K(+)) or efflux (e.g., Na(+)) is governed by a complement of membrane transporters and receptors that show dynamic localization at both the plasma membrane and defined intracellular membrane compartments. Regulation of the rate and mechanism of endocytosis controls the amounts of these proteins on the cell surface, which in many cases determines nutrient uptake or secretion. Moreover, the metabolic action of diverse hormones is initiated upon binding to surface receptors that then undergo regulated endocytosis and show distinct signaling patterns once internalized. Here, we examine how the endocytosis of nutrient transporters and carriers as well as signaling receptors governs cellular metabolism and thereby systemic (whole-body) metabolite homeostasis.