The
AP2 adaptor complex is a multimeric
proteinProteins are organic compounds made of amino acids arranged in a linear chain and folded into a globular form. The amino acids in a polymer chain are joined together by the peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of adjacent amino acid residues...
that works on the plasma membrane to internalise cargo in
clathrinClathrin is a protein which plays a major role in the formation of coated vesicles. Clathrin was first isolated and named by Barbara Pearse in 1975. It forms a triskelion shape which is composed of three clathrin heavy chains and three light chains...
-mediated
endocytosisEndocytosis is the process by which cells absorb molecules from outside the cell by engulfing it with their cell membrane. It is used by all cells of the body because most substances important to them are large polar molecules that cannot pass through the hydrophobic plasma membrane or cell membrane...
. It is a stable complex of four
adaptinAdaptins are proteins mediating the formation of clathrin-coated pits, through interaction with membrane-bound receptors. There are several types of adaptin, each related to a different group of such receptors....
s which give rise to a structure that has a core domain and two appendage domains attached to the core domain by polypeptide linkers. These appendage domains are sometimes called ears. The core domain binds to the membrane and to cargo destined for internalisation.
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The
AP2 adaptor complex is a multimeric
proteinProteins are organic compounds made of amino acids arranged in a linear chain and folded into a globular form. The amino acids in a polymer chain are joined together by the peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of adjacent amino acid residues...
that works on the plasma membrane to internalise cargo in
clathrinClathrin is a protein which plays a major role in the formation of coated vesicles. Clathrin was first isolated and named by Barbara Pearse in 1975. It forms a triskelion shape which is composed of three clathrin heavy chains and three light chains...
-mediated
endocytosisEndocytosis is the process by which cells absorb molecules from outside the cell by engulfing it with their cell membrane. It is used by all cells of the body because most substances important to them are large polar molecules that cannot pass through the hydrophobic plasma membrane or cell membrane...
. It is a stable complex of four
adaptinAdaptins are proteins mediating the formation of clathrin-coated pits, through interaction with membrane-bound receptors. There are several types of adaptin, each related to a different group of such receptors....
s which give rise to a structure that has a core domain and two appendage domains attached to the core domain by polypeptide linkers. These appendage domains are sometimes called ears. The core domain binds to the membrane and to cargo destined for internalisation. The alpha and beta appendage domains bind to accessory proteins and to
clathrinClathrin is a protein which plays a major role in the formation of coated vesicles. Clathrin was first isolated and named by Barbara Pearse in 1975. It forms a triskelion shape which is composed of three clathrin heavy chains and three light chains...
. Their interactions allow the temporal and spatial regulation of the assembly of clathrin-coated vesicles and their
endocytosisEndocytosis is the process by which cells absorb molecules from outside the cell by engulfing it with their cell membrane. It is used by all cells of the body because most substances important to them are large polar molecules that cannot pass through the hydrophobic plasma membrane or cell membrane...
.