Vacuolar Protein Sorting 37C (VPS37C)

VPS37C formed a ternary complex with TSG101 and VPS28 by binding a C-terminal domain of TSG101. VPS37C also bound HRS (HGS), another class E VPS factor. VPS37C was recruited to aberrant endosomes induced by overexpression of TSG101, HRS, or a dominant-negative form of VPS4 (VPS4A). Enveloped viruses that encode PTAP motifs to facilitate budding, like human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 Gag protein, exploit ESCRT-I as an interface with the class E VPS pathway. VPS37C was recruited to the plasma membrane along with TSG101 by HIV-1 Gag. Moreover, direct fusion of VPS37C to HIV-1 Gag obviated the requirement for a PTAP motif to induce virion release. Depletion of VPS37C from human embryonic kidney cells did not inhibit murine leukemia virus budding, which is not mediated by ESCRT-I.