Vacuolar protein sorting-associated protein 41 homolog (VPS41)

Plays a role in vesicle-mediated protein trafficking into lysosomal compartments such as the endocytic membrane transport and autophagic pathways. Believed to act in part as a core component of the putative HOPS endosomal tethering complex is proposed to be involved in the Rab5-to-Rab7 endosome conversion probably implicating MON1A/B, and via binding SNAREs and SNARE complexes to mediate tethering and docking events throughout SNARE- mediated membrane fusion.

The HOPS complex is proposed to be recruited to Rab7 on the late endosomal membrane and to modulate late endocytic, phagocytic and autophagic traffic towards lysosomes (PubMed:23351085). Involved in homotypic vesicle fusions between late endosomes and in heterotypic fusions between late endosomes and lysosomes implicated in degradation of endocytosed freight (PubMed:9159129, PubMed:23167963, PubMed:25445562, PubMed:25908847).