Summary Arf GTPases are key regulators of both retrograde and anterograde traffic at the Golgi complex. The Golgi-localized Arf activators, Arf-GEFs (guanine exchange factor) of the BIG/GBF family, are poorly understood in terms of both their regulatory and localization mechanisms. We have performed a detailed kinetic characterization of a functional Golgi Arf-GEF, the trans-Golgi network (TGN)-localized Sec7 protein from yeast. We demonstrate that Sec7 is regulated by both autoinhibition and positive feedback. We show that positive feedback arises through the stable recruitment of Sec7 to membranes via its HDS1 domain by interaction with its product, activated Arf1. This interaction mediates localization of Sec7 to the TGN, as deletion of the HDS1 domain or mutation of the HDS1 domain in combination with deletion of Arf1 significantly increases cytoplasmic localization of Sec7. Our results lead us to propose a model in which Arf-GEF recruitment is linked to Golgi maturation via Arf1 activation.

Summary Traffic through the Golgi complex is controlled by small GTPases of the Arf and Rab families. Guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) proteins activate these GTPases to control Golgi function, yet the full assortment of signals regulating these GEFs is unknown. The Golgi Arf-GEF Sec7 and the homologous BIG1/2 proteins are effectors of the Arf1 and Arl1 GTPases. We demonstrate that Sec7 is also an effector of two Rab GTPases, Ypt1 (Rab1) and Ypt31/32 (Rab11), signifying unprecedented signaling cross-talk between GTPase pathways. The molecular basis for the role of Ypt31/32 and Rab11 in vesicle formation has remained elusive. We find that Arf1, Arl1, and Ypt1 primarily affect the membrane localization of Sec7, whereas Ypt31/32 exerts a dramatic stimulatory effect on the nucleotide exchange activity of Sec7. The convergence of multiple signaling pathways on a master regulator reveals a mechanism for balancing incoming and outgoing traffic at the Golgi.