Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 16, 2026
17:14
In vivo and in vitro Studies of Adaptor-clathrin Interaction
Published on: January 26, 2011
Harnessing actin dynamics for clathrin-mediated endocytosis.
Marko Kaksonen1, Christopher P Toret, David G Drubin
1Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720-3202, USA.
Nature Reviews. Molecular Cell Biology
|May 26, 2006
Summary
Actin polymerization drives cell migration and is now understood to play a key role in endocytosis. Live-cell imaging reveals the molecular mechanisms of actin
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Molecular Biology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Actin polymerization is crucial for cell migration, forming structures like lamellipodia and filopodia at the cell's leading edge.
- Recent research highlights a newly established role for actin polymerization in endocytosis, a process involving plasma membrane reshaping.
Purpose of the Study:
- To elucidate the specific molecular events and mechanisms governing actin's function during endocytosis.
- To investigate the temporal dynamics of actin involvement in the endocytic pathway.
Main Methods:
- Utilized live-cell imaging techniques to observe cellular processes in real-time.
- Focused on analyzing the order and timing of molecular events related to actin polymerization during endocytosis.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated the involvement of actin polymerization in the process of endocytosis.
- Provided insights into the sequence and timing of actin-related molecular events during plasma membrane invagination and vesicle formation.
Conclusions:
- Actin polymerization is a significant factor in endocytosis, beyond its established role in cell migration.
- Live-cell imaging provides critical data for understanding the dynamic mechanisms of actin function in cellular processes like endocytosis.
Related Concept Videos
01:32Pinching-off of Coated Vesicles
Vesicle budding is orchestrated by distinct cytosolic proteins such as adaptor proteins, coat proteins, and GTPases. To initiate vesicle budding, membrane-bending proteins containing crescent-shaped BAR domains bind to the lipid heads in the bilayer and distort the membrane to form a protein-coated vesicle bud. Adaptors proteins such as AP2 for clathrin-coated vesicles can nucleate on the deformed membrane. Finally, coat proteins such as clathrin or COPI and COPII assemble into a coat forming...
01:33Coat Assembly and GTPases
Vesicles incorporate different coat protein subunits in different cell locations, which changes the properties of the coat, such as the shape and geometry of the transport vesicles. Thus, vesicle coat proteins also play a significant role in cargo selection.
Coat assembly depends on the local availability of phosphatidylinositol phosphates or PIPs and GTP-binding proteins. Adaptor proteins, which link the coat proteins to the membrane, bind to these PIPs and play a crucial role in controlling...
Coat assembly depends on the local availability of phosphatidylinositol phosphates or PIPs and GTP-binding proteins. Adaptor proteins, which link the coat proteins to the membrane, bind to these PIPs and play a crucial role in controlling...
01:39Mechanism of Filopodia Formation
Filopodia are thin, actin-rich cellular protrusions that play an important role in many fundamental cellular functions. They vary in their occurrence, length, and positioning in different cell types, suggesting their diverse roles.
Their main function is to guide migrating cells during normal tissue morphogenesis or cancer metastasis by recognizing and making initial contacts with the extracellular matrix. However, they can also act as stationary cell anchors or help to establish communication...
Their main function is to guide migrating cells during normal tissue morphogenesis or cancer metastasis by recognizing and making initial contacts with the extracellular matrix. However, they can also act as stationary cell anchors or help to establish communication...
01:31Mechanism of Lamellipodia Formation
Cells migrating in response to external stimuli form lamellipodia, which are thin membrane protrusions supported by a mesh of linked, branched, or unbranched actin filaments. These actin filaments interact with myosin motor proteins, creating the dynamic actomyosin complex within the cytoskeleton. Contractility, or the ability to generate contractile stress, is inherent to the actomyosin complex. It helps cells detect the stiffness of the surrounding ECM and exert contractile force for...
01:12Clathrin Coated Vesicles
Clathrin-coated vesicles use endocytosis to transport receptors and lysosomal hydrolases from the Golgi to the lysosome in the late secretory pathway. Clathrin-mediated endocytosis was the first described endocytic process, and Clathrin-coated vesicles remain one of the most well-studied transport vesicles. The molecular machinery that generates clathrin-coated vesicles comprises over 50 proteins that precisely coordinate vesicle formation. Cell surface receptors concentrated in indented sites...
01:17Intracellular Signaling Affects Focal Adhesions
Integrins act both as extracellular input receivers and as intracellular processing activators. As their name suggests, integrins are entirely integrated into the membrane structure. Their hydrophobic membrane-spanning regions interact with the phospholipid bilayer's hydrophobic region. These membrane receptors provide extracellular attachment sites for effectors like hormones and growth factors. They activate intracellular response cascades when their effectors are bound and active.
Some...
Some...