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Dynamin spirals
1Laboratory of Cell Biochemistry and Biology, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. jennyh@helix.nih.gov
Abstract:
Dynamin is an important component of membrane recycling at the plasma membrane and, potentially, within the cell. The role of dynamin in clathrin-mediated endocytosis has been based on numerous endocytosis assays, as well as on the discovery and gross characterization of the assembled spiral structure of dynamin. Recently, it has been shown that dynamin can also bind to liposomes and form helical tubes that constrict and vesiculate upon GTP addition. This suggests that dynamin is capable of and may be responsible for the pinching off of clathrin-coated vesicles from the plasma membrane during clathrin-mediated endocytosis.