Bro1 coordinates deubiquitination in the multivesicular body pathway by recruiting Doa4 to endosomes

Ubiquitination directs the sorting of cell surface receptors and other integral membrane proteins into the multivesicular body (MVB) pathway. Cargo proteins are subsequently deubiquitinated before their enclosure within MVB vesicles. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Bro1 functions at a late step of MVB sorting and is required for cargo protein deubiquitination. We show that the loss of Bro1 function is suppressed by the overexpression of DOA4, which encodes the ubiquitin thiolesterase required for the removal of ubiquitin from MVB cargoes. Overexpression of DOA4 restores cargo protein deubiquitination and sorting via the MVB pathway and reverses the abnormal endosomal morphology typical of bro1 mutant cells, resulting in the restoration of multivesicular endosomes. We further demonstrate that Doa4 interacts with Bro1 on endosomal membranes and that the recruitment of Doa4 to endosomes requires Bro1. Thus, our results point to a key role for Bro1 in coordinating the timing and location of deubiquitination by Doa4 in the MVB pathway.