Endosomal actin branching, fission, and receptor recycling require FCHSD2 recruitment by MICAL-L1.

Endosome fission is required for the release of carrier vesicles and the recycling of receptors to the plasma membrane. Early events in endosome budding and fission rely on actin branching to constrict the endosomal membrane, ultimately leading to nucleotide hydrolysis and enzymatic fission. However, our current understanding of this process is limited, particularly regarding the coordination between the early and late steps of endosomal fission. Here we have identified a novel interaction between the endosomal scaffolding protein, MICAL-L1, and the human homologue of the Drosophila Nervous Wreck (Nwk) protein, FCH and double SH3 domains protein 2 (FCHSD2). We demonstrate that MICAL-L1 recruits FCHSD2 to the endosomal membrane, where it is required for ARP2/3-mediated generation of branched actin, endosome fission and receptor recycling to the plasma membrane. Because MICAL-L1 first recruits FCHSD2 to the endosomal membrane, and is subsequently responsible for recruitment of the ATPase and fission protein EHD1 to endosomes, our findings support a model in which MICAL-L1 orchestrates endosomal fission by connecting between the early actin-driven and subsequent nucleotide hydrolysis steps of the process.