Caspase 8 is a cysteine protease that initiates apoptotic signaling via the extrinsic pathway in a manner dependent upon association with early endosomes. Previously, we identified caspase 8 as an effector of migration, promoting motility in a manner dependent upon phosphorylation on Tyr-380 by Src family kinases and its subsequent association with Src homology 2 domain-containing proteins. Here we demonstrate the regulation of the small GTPase Rab5, which mediates early endosome formation, homotypic fusion, and maturation by caspase 8. Regulation requires the Tyr-380 phosphorylation site but not caspase proteolytic activity. Tyr-380 is essential for interaction with the Src homology 2 domains of p85␣, a multifunctional adaptor for phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, that possesses Rab-GAP activity. Interaction between caspase 8 and p85␣ promotes Rab5 GTP loading, alters endosomal trafficking, and results in the accumulation of Rab5-positive endosomes at the edge of the cell. Conversely, caspase 8-dependent GTP loading of Rab5 is overcome by increased expression of p85␣ in a Rab-GAPdependent manner. Thus, we demonstrate a novel function for caspase 8 as a modulator of p85␣ Rab-GAP activity and endosomal trafficking.Rab5 is a small GTPase involved in clathrin-coated vesicle formation, vesicle-early endosome, and early endosome homotypic fusion as well as endosome maturation (for review, see Refs. 1 and 2). Rab5 cycling between the GDP-(inactive) and GTP-bound (active) forms is a process tightly controlled by GTPase-activating proteins (GAPs), 2 guanine nucleotide-exchange factors, and GDP dissociation inhibitors. This strict control is critical to the correct "activation" of Rab5 in time and space (1). GTP-bound Rab5 binds many effectors, including EEA1 (3), Rabaptin5 (4), Rabenosyn5 (5), and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinases (6), thus accounting for its influence on endosome tethering, fusion, and transport (2). The amount of GTP-loaded Rab5 acts as a rate-limiting step influencing the extent of endosome docking and fusion (7). Characterization of GAPs and guanine nucleotide-exchange factors continues to provide new insights on how membrane trafficking is regulated. Recently we characterized the p85␣ subunit of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase as a Rab-GAP, binding Rab5 via its BH domain, providing a "timing" mechanism for GTP-bound Rab5 (8). Mutation in the BH domain (R274A) impairs Rab-GAP activity, altering the trafficking and degradation of tyrosine kinase receptors (9).Caspase 8 is a cysteine protease that initiates apoptotic signaling via the extrinsic pathway in a manner dependent upon association with early endosomes (10 -12). However, increasing evidence has revealed unexpected non-apoptotic functions of caspase 8, including enhancement of cell adhesion and motility (13-17). Importantly, after phosphorylation (13, 21) caspase 8 was shown to influence cell adhesion and migration via an interaction with p85␣ in a Rac-dependent manner (16).Interestingly, Rab5 was recently shown to regulate cell motility, acting in co...