Early endosome antigen 1 (EEA1)

Early endosome antigen 1 (EEA1) is a large, alpha-helical, peripheral membrane protein found primarily on the cytoplasmic face of early endosomes in human cells. It is encoded by the EEA1 gene and comprised of 1,411 amino acids. EEA1 binds directly to phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate in endosomal membranes via its C-terminal FYVE zinc finger domain, and it dimerizes via a coiled-coil region. As a Rab5 effector, EEA1 plays a critical role in mediating the tethering and docking of endocytic vesicles prior to their fusion with early endosomes, thereby regulating endosomal trafficking and cargo sorting. It is essential for proper endocytosis and is recruited to endosomal membranes by Rab5-GTP. EEA1 function may be regulated by post-translational modifications such as monoubiquitination. Dysfunction or manipulation of EEA1 is associated with the ability of certain intracellular pathogens (e.g., Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Legionella species) to evade degradation by interfering with endosomal trafficking[1][2][3][6].

Other names

Endosome-associated protein p162ZFYVE2Zinc finger FYVE domain-containing protein 2