clathrinadaptor
Clathrin adaptor proteins are cytosolic multiprotein complexes that recruit clathrin during vesicle budding and thereby couple membrane cargo selection to vesicle formation. They operate in various trafficking routes, notably endocytosis at the plasma membrane and delivery from the trans-Golgi network to endosomes and lysosomes. By selecting cargo and organizing clathrin coats, they help shape the clathrin-coated vesicle system that maintains intracellular protein sorting.
The best characterized clathrin adaptors are adaptor protein complexes AP-1, AP-2, AP-3 and AP-4, with AP-5 described
Cargo recognition: The mu subunits bind sorting motifs such as YxxΦ in cargo tails, while other subunits
Localization and function: AP-2 operates at the plasma membrane to drive endocytosis; AP-1 functions at the
Clinical relevance: Mutations in clathrin adaptor subunits can cause human disease; for example AP-3 defects underlie