Endosome maturation is orchestrated by inside-out proton signaling through a Na+/H+ exchanger and pH-dependent Rab GTPase cycling

Endosome maturation requires progressive lumen acidification. To what extent is lumen acidification sensed by cytosolic-side molecules that drive endosome maturation? We show here that "inside-out" proton signaling through the endosomal Na+/H+ Exchanger 6 (NHE6) activates the late endosome master regulator Rab7. The mechanism involves potent inactivation of the Rab7 GTPase-activating protein (GAP) TBC1D5 with decreasing pH. NHE6 interacts with TBC1D5 in a complex with Rab7. Neurons from NHE6-null mice or mice engineered with a selective defect in NHE6 proton efflux exhibit blocked endosome maturation and decreased active Rab7, consistent with an overactive Rab7 GAP. Finally, epistatic knock-down of TBC1D5, thereby reducing Rab7 GAP activity, in NHE6-null neurons rescues Rab7 GTPase cycling and endosome maturation. Importantly, NHE6 is mutated in Christianson Syndrome underscoring the significance of these mechanisms to neurodegeneration. We conclude that lumen acidification regulates pH-dependent Rab GTPase cycling to coordinate late endosome maturation by a process involving proton signaling.