Precise tracking of the dynamics of multiple proteins in endocytic events

Endocytosis is a complex and dynamic process that involves dozens of different proteins to define the site of endocytosis, form a membrane invagination, and pinch off a membrane vesicle into the cytoplasm. Fluorescent light microscopy is a powerful tool to visualize the dynamic behaviors of the proteins taking part in the endocytic process. The resolution of light microscopy is, however, a serious limitation. Here, we detail a fluorescence microscope method that we have developed to visualize the dynamics of the clathrin-mediated endocytic protein machinery in yeast cells. This method is based on subpixel centroid tracking of endocytic proteins. For each endocytic protein, the centroid trajectories obtained from multiple endocytic events are used to compute an average trajectory that describes, at nanometer scale, the assembly and movement of the protein during endocytosis. The average trajectories of the different endocytic proteins are then aligned together in space and time to reconstruct how the different proteins behave relative to each other during the endocytic process.