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Updated: Sep 1, 2025

In Vitro Polymerization of F-actin on Early Endosomes
Published on: August 28, 2017
The endocytic protein machinery as an actin-driven membrane-remodeling machine
1Cell Biology and Biophysics Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Meyerhofstrasse 1, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany.
Abstract:
In clathrin-mediated endocytosis, a principal membrane trafficking route of all eukaryotic cells, forces are applied to invaginate the plasma membrane and form endocytic vesicles. These forces are provided by specific endocytic proteins and the polymerizing actin cytoskeleton. One of the best-studied endocytic systems is endocytosis in yeast, known for its simplicity, experimental amenability, and overall similarity to human endocytosis. Importantly, the yeast endocytic protein machinery generates and transmits tremendous force to bend the plasma membrane, making this system beneficial for mechanistic studies of cellular force-driven membrane reshaping. This review summarizes important protein players, molecular functions, applied forces, and open questions and perspectives of this robust, actin-powered membrane-remodeling protein machine.
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