Abstract
Axonal transport is key to neuronal function. Efficient transport requires specific motor-cargo association in the soma, yet the mechanisms regulating this early step remain poorly understood. We found that EBP-1, the C. elegans ortholog of the canonical microtubule end binding protein EB1, promotes the specific association between kinesin-3/KIF1A/UNC-104 and Dense Core Vesicles (DCVs) prior to their axonal delivery. Using single-neuron, in vivo labelling of endogenous cargo and EBs, we observed reduced axonal abundance and reduced secretion of DCV cargo, but not other KIF1A/UNC-104 cargo, in ebp-1 mutants. This reduction could be traced back to fewer exit events from the cell body, where EBP-1 colocalized with the DCV sorting machinery at the trans Golgi, suggesting that this is the site of EBP-1 function. In addition to its microtubule binding CH domain, mammalian EB1 interacted with mammalian KIF1A in an EBH domain dependent manner, and expression of mammalian EB1 or the EBH domain was sufficient to rescue DCV transport in ebp-1 mutants. Our results suggest a model in which kinesin-3 binding and microtubule binding by EBP-1 cooperate to transiently enrich the motor near sites of DCV biogenesis to promote motor-cargo association. In support of this model, tethering either EBP-1 or a kinesin-3 KIF1A/UNC-104 interacting domain from an unrelated protein to the Golgi restored the axonal abundance of DCV proteins in ebp-1 mutants. These results uncover an unexpected role for a microtubule associated protein and provide insight into how specific kinesin-3 cargo are delivered to the axon.