Regulation of G protein-coupled receptor endocytosis by ARF6 GTP-binding proteins

The function of G protein-coupled receptors is regulated by a broad variety of membrane-bound and intracellular proteins. These act in concert to activate signaling pathways that will lead to the desensitization of activated receptors and, for most receptor types, their trafficking to intracellular compartments. This review focuses mainly on the endocytic pathways used by a G protein-coupled receptor and on the proteins that play an essential role in the regulation of the internalization process, most specifically the ADP-ribosylation factors. This family of proteins has been shown to be important for vesicle trafficking between different cellular membranes. The latest findings regarding the molecular mechanisms that regulate internalization of an agonist-stimulated receptor are presented here. Finally, a perspective on how ARF6 proteins might regulate the internalization process is also proposed.