Variation in the volume of coated vesicles isoalted from human placenta

Electron microscopic analysis of 500 negatively stained coated vesicles isolated from human placenta showed that they exist within limits in a continuous range of volumes with an unimodal distribution. Some vesicles were larger than the frequently quoted maximum size of these organelles (diameter 100nm). The ratio of hexagonal to pentagonal facets in the clathrin lattice of the vesicle wall appears to be variable. This feature may be important in morphogenesis since the mean volume of prolate vesicles is larger than that of spherical vesicles. Empty lattices had a mean volume smaller than that of lattices containing phospholipid bilayers.