Lysosome exocytosis plays a major role in resealing plasma membrane (PM) disruptions. This process involves two sequential steps. First, lysosomes are recruited to the periphery of the cell and then fuse with the damaged PM. However, the trafficking molecular machinery involved in lysosome exocytosis and PM repair (PMR) is poorly understood. We performed a systematic screen of the human Rab family to identify Rabs required for lysosome exocytosis and PMR. Rab3a, which partially localizes to peripheral lysosomes, was one of the most robust hits. Silencing of Rab3a or its effector, synaptotagmin-like protein 4a (Slp4-a), leads to the collapse of lysosomes to the perinuclear region and inhibition of PMR. Importantly, we have also identified a new Rab3 effector, nonmuscle myosin heavy chain IIA, as part of the complex formed by Rab3a and Slp4-a that is responsible for lysosome positioning at the cell periphery and lysosome exocytosis.

The multimeric GlcNAc-1-phosphotransferase complex catalyzes the formation of mannose 6-phosphate recognition marker on lysosomal enzymes required for receptor-mediated targeting to lysosomes. GNPTAB and GNPTG encode the α/β-subunit precursor membrane proteins and the soluble γ-subunits, respectively. Performing extensive mutational analysis, we identified the binding regions of γ-subunits in a previously uncharacterized domain of α-subunits comprising residues 535–698, named GNPTG binding (GB) domain. Both the deletion of GB preventing γ-subunit binding and targeted deletion of GNPTG led to significant reduction in GlcNAc-1-phosphotransferase activity. We also identified cysteine 70 in α-subunits to be involved in covalent homodimerization of α-subunits which is, however, required neither for interaction with γ-subunits nor for catalytic activity of the enzyme complex. Finally, binding assays using various γ-subunit mutants revealed that residues 130–238 interact with glycosylated α-subunits suggesting a role for the mannose 6-phosphate receptor homology domain in α-subunit binding. These studies provide new insight into the assembly of the GlcNAc-1-phosphotransferase complex, and the functions of distinct domains of the α- and γ-subunits.