Is an ATPase involved in uncoating of plasma membrane adaptor complex AP-2?

The coat of clathrin-coated vesicles mostly consists of clathrin and adaptor complexes AP-1 or AP-2. Clathrin is released from the vesicles in an ATP-dependent fashion prior to their fusion with endosomes. In the present study we found that ATP strongly inhibits in vitro binding of cytosolic AP-2 to membranes of stripped vesicles, and promotes the release of endogenous AP-2 from clathrin-deprived coated vesicles. Both effects required hydrolysis of ATP. In contrast, binding of AP-1 to stripped vesicles was not affected by ATP, but was enhanced by GTP-gamma-S. These results point to an ATPase that promotes the release of AP-2 from clathrin-coated vesicles.