Vacuolar protein sorting-associated protein 8 homolog

VPS8 (vacuolar protein sorting-associated protein 8 homolog) is a 161.8 kDa protein involved in vesicle-mediated protein trafficking along the endocytic pathway (UniProt: Q8N3P4). It functions as a component of the CORVET endosomal tethering complex, which mediates Rab5-to-Rab7 endosome conversion and SNARE-mediated membrane fusion, with predominant localization in APPL1-containing endosomes (UniProt: Q8N3P4). No prior disease associations are listed in UniProt.

VPS8 is tagged as downregulated in Alzheimer's disease. Chaparral AD proteomics data from post-mortem AD brain tissue versus age-matched controls (TMT-labeled, DDA approach across four subcellular fractions) show reduced VPS8 abundance with a mean log2 fold-change of −0.37 (Chaparral AD proteomics). This modest downregulation suggests impaired endosomal trafficking capacity in AD pathology, potentially affecting clearance of endocytic cargo and membrane recycling during neurodegeneration.