Stability of the endosomal scaffold protein LAMTOR3 depends on heterodimer assembly and proteasomal degradation.

LAMTOR3 (MP1) and LAMTOR2 (p14) form a heterodimer as part of the larger Ragulator complex that is required for MAPK and mTOR1 signaling from late endosomes/lysosomes. Here, we show that loss of LAMTOR2 (p14) results in an unstable cytosolic monomeric pool of LAMTOR3 (MP1). Monomeric cytoplasmic LAMTOR3 is rapidly degraded in a proteasome-dependent but lysosome-independent manner. Mutational analyses indicated that the turnover of the protein is dependent on ubiquitination of several lysine residues. Similarly, other Ragulator subunits, LAMTOR1 (p18), LAMTOR4 (c7orf59), and LAMTOR5 (HBXIP), are degraded as well upon the loss of LAMTOR2. Thus the assembly of the Ragulator complex is monitored by cellular quality control systems, most likely to prevent aberrant signaling at the convergence of mTOR and MAPK caused by a defective Ragulator complex.