Evidence that RME-1, a conserved C. elegans EH-domain protein, functions in endocytic recycling

In genetic screens for new endocytosis genes in Caenorhabditis elegans we identified RME-1, a member of a conserved class of Eps15-homology (EH)-domain proteins. Here we show that RME-1 is associated with the periphery of endocytic organelles, which is consistent with a direct role in endocytic transport. Endocytic defects in rme-1 mutants indicate that the protein is likely to have a function in endocytic recycling. Evidence from studies of mammalian RME-1 also points to a function for RME-1 in recycling, specifically in the exit of membrane proteins from recycling endosomes. These studies show a conserved function in endocytic recycling for the RME-1 family of EH proteins.