Cell surface protein aggregation triggers endocytosis to maintain plasma membrane proteostasis

The ability of cells to manage consequences of exogenous proteotoxicity is key to cellular homeostasis. While a plethora of well-characterised machinery aids intracellular proteostasis, mechanisms involved in the response to denaturation of extracellular proteins remain elusive. Here we show that aggregation of protein ectodomains triggers their endocytosis via a macroendocytic route, and subsequent lysosomal degradation. Using ERBB2/HER2-specific antibodies we reveal that their cross-linking ability triggers specific and fast endocytosis of the receptor, independent of clathrin and dynamin. Upon aggregation, canonical clathrin-dependent cargoes are redirected into the aggregation-dependent endocytosis (ADE) pathway. ADE is an actin-driven process, which morphologically resembles macropinocytosis. Physical and chemical stress-induced aggregation of surface proteins also triggers ADE, facilitating their degradation in the lysosome. This study pinpoints aggregation of extracellular domains as a trigger for rapid uptake and lysosomal clearance which besides its proteostatic function has potential implications for the uptake of pathological protein aggregates and antibody-based therapies. How cells respond to denaturation of extracellular protein domains remained largely unknown. Here, authors describe an aggregation-dependent endocytosis pathway, facilitating uptake and degradation of antibody- and stress-induced protein aggregates.