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Updated: May 5, 2026

Membrane Remodeling of Giant Vesicles in Response to Localized Calcium Ion Gradients
Published on: July 16, 2018
Dynamin undergoes a GTP-dependent conformational change causing vesiculation
1Laboratory of Cell Biochemistry and Biology, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA.
Abstract:
The dynamin family of GTPases is essential for receptor-mediated endocytosis and synaptic vesicle recycling, and it has recently been shown to play a role in vesicle formation from the trans-Golgi network. Dynamin is believed to assemble around the necks of clathrin-coated pits and assist in pinching vesicles from the plasma membrane. This role would make dynamin unique among GTPases in its ability to act as a mechanochemical enzyme. Data presented here demonstrate that purified recombinant dynamin binds to a lipid bilayer in a regular pattern to form helical tubes that constrict and vesiculate upon GTP addition. This suggests that dynamin alone is sufficient for the formation of constricted necks of coated pits and supports the hypothesis that dynamin is the force-generating molecule responsible for membrane fission.
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