Extracellular vesicles (EVs), transporting diverse cellular components, play a crucial role in intercellular communication in numerous physiological and pathological processes. EVs have also been recognized as a drug delivery platform for therapeutic purposes and cell-free regenerative medicine. While various approaches have focused on increasing EV production for efficient use therapeutic use of EVs, enhancing the quality of EVs, such as ensuring efficient uptake by their target cells, has not been widely explored. In this study, we linked a negative membrane curvature-forming inverse BAR (IBAR) domain with an integrin β tail-binding talin F3 domain to create the IBAR-F3 fusion protein. We observed that IBAR-F3 can trigger filopodia-like membrane protrusions and attract integrins to those protrusion-rich regions, when expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells expressing integrin αIIbβ3. Surprisingly, the expression of IBAR-F3 also induced a robust production of EVs, which were then efficiently taken up by nearby cells in an integrin-dependent manner. Moreover, IBAR triggered integrin activation, presumably by inducing negative membrane curvature that likely disrupts the interaction between the integrin α and β transmembrane domain. Therefore, we suggest that IBAR-F3 should be utilized to promote both EV production and efficient uptake mediated by integrins. Furthermore, the negative curvature-inducing integrin activation suggests that integrins on EVs can be activated by the nanoscale change in the curvature of the EV without the need for conventional machinery to activate integrin inside the EVs.

Lysosomes have an important role in cellular protein and organelle quality control, metabolism, and signaling. On the surface of lysosomes, the PIKfyve/Fab1 complex generates phosphatidylinositol 3,5-bisphosphate, PI-3,5-P2, which is critical for lysosomal membrane homeostasis during acute osmotic stress and for lysosomal signaling. Here, we identify the inverted BAR protein Ivy1 as an inhibitor of the Fab1 complex with a direct influence on PI-3,5-P2 levels and vacuole homeostasis. Ivy1 requires Ypt7 binding for its function, binds PI-3,5-P2, and interacts with the Fab1 kinase. Colocalization of Ivy1 and Fab1 is lost during osmotic stress. In agreement with Ivy1\'s role as a Fab1 regulator, its overexpression blocks Fab1 activity during osmotic shock and vacuole fragmentation. Conversely, loss of Ivy1, or lateral relocalization of Ivy1 on vacuoles away from Fab1, results in vacuole fragmentation and poor growth. Our data suggest that Ivy1 modulates Fab1-mediated PI-3,5-P2 synthesis during membrane stress and may allow adjustment of the vacuole membrane environment.

Eukaryotic cells rely on a set of membrane-enclosed organelles to perform highly efficient reactions in an optimized environment. Trafficking of molecules via vesicular carriers and membrane contact sites (MCS) allow the coordination between these compartments, though the precise mechanisms are still enigmatic. Among the cellular organelles, the lysosome/vacuole stands out as a central hub, where multiple pathways merge. Importantly, the delivered material is degraded and the monomers are recycled for further usage, which explains its wide variety of roles in controlling cellular metabolism. We will highlight recent advances in the field by focusing on the yeast vacuole as a model system to understand lysosomal function in general.