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Clathrin-coated vesicles in nervous tissue are involved primarily in synaptic vesicle recycling.

The recycling of synaptic vesicles in nerve terminals is thought to involve clathrin-coated vesicles. However, the properties of nerve terminal coated vesicles have not been characterized. Starting from a preparation of purified nerve terminals obtained from rat brain, we isolated clathrin-coated vesicles by a series of differential and density gradient centrifugation steps. The enrichment of coated vesicles during fractionation was monitored by EM. The final fraction consisted of greater than 90% of coated vesicles, with only negligible contamination by synaptic vesicles. Control experiments revealed that the contribution by coated vesicles derived from the axo-dendritic region or from nonneuronal cells is minimal. The membrane composition of nerve terminal-derived coated vesicles was very similar to that of synaptic vesicles, containing the membrane proteins synaptophysin, synaptotagmin, p29, synaptobrevin and the 116-kD subunit of the vacuolar proton pump, in similar stoichiometric ratios. The small GTP-binding protein rab3A was absent, probably reflecting its dissociation from synaptic vesicles during endocytosis. Immunogold EM revealed that virtually all coated vesicles carried synaptic vesicle proteins, demonstrating that the contribution by coated vesicles derived from other membrane traffic pathways is negligible. Coated vesicles isolated from the whole brain exhibited a similar composition, most of them carrying synaptic vesicle proteins. This indicates that in nervous tissue, coated vesicles function predominantly in the synaptic vesicle pathway. Nerve terminal-derived coated vesicles contained AP-2 adaptor complexes, which is in agreement with their plasmalemmal origin. Furthermore, the neuron-specific coat proteins AP 180 and auxilin, as well as the alpha a1 and alpha c1-adaptins, were enriched in this fraction, suggesting a function for these coat proteins in synaptic vesicle recycling.

Adaptor Proteins, Vesicular Transport↗

Structure and properties of the coated vesicle (H+)-ATPase.

Clathrin-coated vesicles play an important role in both receptor-mediated endocytosis and intracellular membrane traffic in eukaryotic cells. The coated vesicle (H+)-ATPase functions to provide the acidic environment within endosomes and other intracellular compartments necessary for receptor recycling and intracellular membrane traffic. The coated vesicle (H+)-ATPase is composed of nine different subunits which are divided into two distinct domains. The peripheral V1 domain, which has the structure 73(3):58(3):40(1):34(1):33(1), possesses the nucleotide binding sites of the (H+)-ATPase. The integral V0 domain, which has the composition 100(1):38(1):19(1):17(6), contains the pathway for proton conduction across the membrane. Topographical analysis indicates a structure for the coated vesicle (H+)-ATPase very similar to that of the F-type ATPases. Reassembly studies have allowed us to probe the function of particular subunits in this complex and the activity properties of the separate domains. These studies have led to insights into possible mechanisms of regulating vacuolar acidification.

Proton Pumps↗

A novel mechanism for regulation of vacuolar acidification.

We have recently demonstrated that Cys-254 of the 73-kDa A subunit of the clathrin-coated vesicle (H+)-ATPase is responsible for sensitivity of the enzyme to sulfhydryl reagents (Feng, Y., and Forgac, M. (1992) J. Biol. Chem. 267, 5817-5822). In the present study we observe that for the purified enzyme, disulfide bond formation causes inactivation of proton transport which is reversed by dithiothreitol (DTT). DTT also restores activity of the oxidized enzyme following treatment with N-ethylmaleimide (NEM). These results indicate that disulfide bond formation between the NEM-reactive cysteine (Cys-254) and a closely proximal cysteine residue leads to inactivation of the (H+)-ATPase. To test whether sulfhydryl-disulfide bond interchange may play a role in regulating vacuolar acidification in vivo, we have determined what fraction of the (H+)-ATPase is disulfide-bonded in native clathrin-coated vesicles. Vesicles were isolated under conditions that prevent any change in the oxidation state of the sulfhydryl groups. NEM treatment of vesicles causes nearly complete loss of activity while subsequent treatment with DTT restores 50% of the activity of the fully reduced vesicles. By contrast, treatment of fully reduced vesicles with NEM leads to inactivation which is not reversed by DTT. These results indicate that a significant fraction of the clathrin-coated vesicle (H+)-ATPase exists in an inactive, disulfide-bonded state and suggest that sulfhydryl-disulfide bond interconversion may play a role in controlling vacuolar (H+)-ATPase (V-ATPase) activity in vivo.

Animals↗

Clathrin assembly protein AP-2 induces aggregation of membrane vesicles: a possible role for AP-2 in endosome formation.

We have examined the in vitro behavior of clathrin-coated vesicles that have been stripped of their surface coats such that the majority of the clathrin is removed but substantial amounts of clathrin assembly proteins (AP) remain membrane-associated. Aggregation of these stripped coated vesicles (s-CV) is observed when they are placed under conditions that approximate the pH and ionic strength of the cell interior (pH 7.2, approximately 100 mM salt). This s-CV aggregation reaction is rapid (t1/2 < or = 0.5 min), independent of temperature within a range of 4-37 degrees C, and unaffected by ATP, guanosine-5'-O-(3-thiophosphate), and in particular EGTA, distinguishing it from Ca(2+)-dependent membrane aggregation reactions. The process is driven by the action of membrane-associated AP molecules since partial proteolysis results in a full loss of activity and since aggregation is abolished by pretreatment of the s-CVs with a monoclonal antibody that reacts with the alpha subunit of AP-2. However, vesicle aggregation is not inhibited by PPPi, indicating that the previously characterized polyphosphate-sensitive AP-2 self-association is not responsible for the reaction. The vesicle aggregation reaction can be reconstituted: liposomes of phospholipid composition approximating that found on the cytoplasmic surfaces of the plasma membrane and of coated vesicles (70% L-alpha-phosphatidylethanolamine (type I-A), 15% L-alpha-phosphatidyl-L-serine, and 15% L-alpha-phosphatidylinositol) aggregated after addition of AP-2, but not of AP-1, AP-3 (AP180), or pure clathrin triskelions. Aggregation of liposomes is abolished by limited proteolysis of AP-2 with trypsin. In addition, a highly purified AP-2 alpha preparation devoid of beta causes liposome aggregation, whereas pure beta subunit does not, consistent with results obtained in the s-CV assay which also indicate the involvement of the alpha subunit. Using a fluorescence energy transfer assay we show that AP-2 does not cause fusion of liposomes under physiological solution conditions. However, since the fusion of membranes necessarily requires the close opposition of the two participating bilayers, the AP-2-dependent vesicle aggregation events that we have identified may represent an initial step in the formation and fusion of endosomes that occur subsequent to endocytosis and clathrin uncoating in vivo.

Adaptor Proteins, Vesicular Transport↗

Deficiency of AP1M2 Causes a New Autoinflammatory Disease With Colitis.

OBJECTIVE: This study was the first to identify the biallelic loss-of-function variant in AP1M2 as the cause of autoinflammatory disease with colitis and aimed to elucidate the pathogenesis of AP1M2 deficiency in mice and humans. METHODS: We collected a blood sample and serum sample from a patient for genetic diagnosis and determination of inflammatory cytokines, respectively. Ap1m2-deficient mice on the C57BL/6 background and DLD-1 cells were used to dissect the functional role of Ap1m2 in serum and intestines. Stereo-seq was performed on Ap1m2-/- and Ap1m2-/-::Tnfr1-/- mouse samples to investigate the regulatory role of Tnfr1 signaling in the pathogenesis of Ap1m2 deficiency-caused intestinal inflammation. Superrevolution imaging and clathrin-coated vesicle enrichment were used to explore the molecular mechanism by which AP1M2 suppresses NF-&#x3ba;B activation and chemokine production. RESULTS: Ap1m2-/- mice exhibited elevated chemokine production in serum and spontaneously developed intestinal inflammation, which phenocopies the patient with the AP1M2 variant. Mechanistically, the deficiency of intestinal epithelial specific AP1M2 expression resulted in accumulation of TNFR1-signaling downstream proteins, including RIPK1, TBK1, IKK&#x3b1;/&#x3b2;, and NEMO, leading to enhanced NF-&#x3ba;B activation and subsequent chemokine overproduction. Tnfr1 knockout rescued gastrointestinal inflammation induced by Ap1m2 deficiency through suppressing NF-&#x3ba;B activation and chemokine production. CONCLUSION: This study identifies the deficiency of AP1M2 as the cause of a new autoinflammatory disease with colitis and highlights the critical function of AP-1 in suppressing NF-&#x3ba;B activation and chemokine production.

Animals↗

Sequence analysis of the catalytic subunit of H(+)-ATPase from porcine renal brush-border membranes.

The catalytic subunit of the H(+)-ATPase from brush-border membranes of porcine renal proximal tubules was labeled with the hydrophobic SH-group reagent 10-N-(bromoacetyl)amino-1-decyl-beta-glucopyranoside (BADG) which irreversibly inhibits proton pump activity in the absence but not in the presence of ATP. The labeled protein was purified and digested with proteinases. After isolation and sequencing of proteolytic peptides two BADG-labeled cysteines were identified. The amino acid sequences of the obtained proteolytic peptides were homologous to the catalytic subunit of V-ATPases. From mRNA of porcine kidney cortex a catalytic H(+)-ATPase subunit was cloned. 181 of the 183 amino acids which overlap in the sequence derived from the cDNA and the proteolytic peptides were identical, and the two deviations are due to single base exchanges. A comparison of the amino acid sequence derived from the cloned cDNA with sequences of catalytic H(+)-ATPase subunits communicated by other laboratories revealed 98%, 96% and 94% identity with sequences from bovine adrenal medulla, from bovine kidney medulla and from clathrin-coated vesicles of bovine brain. Between 64% and 69% identity was obtained with sequences from fungi and plants. The data show that the catalytic subunit of V-ATPases is highly conserved during evolution. They indicate organ and species specificity in mammalians.

Acetylglucosamine↗

Inositol polyphosphate receptor and clathrin assembly protein AP-2 are related proteins that form potassium-selective ion channels in planar lipid bilayers.

We have previously described an inositol polyphosphate receptor (IPxRec), purified from detergent-solubilized bovine cerebellum microsomes, that displays potassium ion channel activity in planar lipid bilayers. We now find that the IPxRec is closely related to clathrin assembly protein AP-2. The IPxRec and AP-2 purified from bovine brain clathrin-coated vesicles share several structural and functional features: (i) similar subunit composition; each has four major polypeptides that have similar mobility (Mr values of 111,000, 100,000, 50,000, and 17,000) and relative intensity by SDS/PAGE analysis; (ii) similar size as studied by molecular sieve chromatography (Mr 400,000); (iii) identical N-terminal amino acid sequences for the Mr 50,000 subunits and Mr 111,000/100,000 doublets; (iv) immunoreactivity of the AP-2 Mr 111,000/100,000 doublet to polyclonal antibodies affinity purified against the doublet proteins of the IPxRec; (v) display of the in vitro diagnostic feature of assembly proteins--i.e., they induce the assembly of clathrin cages; and (vi) ion channel activity selective for potassium ions with the same unitary conductance when incorporated into planar lipid bilayers. One difference was found. AP-2 channels were not blocked by inositol 1,3,4,5-tetraphosphate as reported for IPx receptor channels. These studies suggest a possible connection between the IPx signaling pathways and receptor-mediated endocytosis.

Adaptor Proteins, Vesicular Transport↗

Placental alkaline phosphatase as the placental IgG receptor.

We review data from our studies of the physiological role of placental alkaline phosphatase (PLAP) and report that, in addition to functioning in catalysis, PLAP has the capacity to bind the Fc portion of human IgG. The dissociation constant for the interaction (3.86 mumol/L) indicates that the PLAP-IgG complex probably occurs in vivo. Furthermore, the electrophoretic and immunochemical properties of PLAP are identical to those of the purified placental Fc receptor. This receptor is believed to participate in the transfer of IgG molecules from the maternal circulation to the fetus during pregnancy. Studies with HEp2 cells show that PLAP is necessary for the internalization of IgG molecules. PLAP behaves, at least in this cell line, as an Fc receptor. The presence of large amounts of PLAP in clathrin-coated vesicles prepared from placenta strongly indicates that PLAP is involved in the endocytic machinery in this organ. We conclude that these results, taken together, suggest a novel biological role for PLAP.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗

The VPH1 gene encodes a 95-kDa integral membrane polypeptide required for in vivo assembly and activity of the yeast vacuolar H(+)-ATPase.

Yeast vacuolar acidification-defective (vph) mutants were identified using the pH-sensitive fluorescence of 6-carboxyfluorescein diacetate (Preston, R. A., Murphy, R. F., and Jones, E. W. (1989) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 86, 7027-7031). Vacuoles purified from yeast bearing the vph1-1 mutation had no detectable bafilomycin-sensitive ATPase activity or ATP-dependent proton pumping. The peripherally bound nucleotide-binding subunits of the vacuolar H(+)-ATPase (60 and 69 kDa) were no longer associated with vacuolar membranes yet were present in wild type levels in yeast whole cell extracts. The VPH1 gene was cloned by complementation of the vph1-1 mutation and independently cloned by screening a lambda gt11 expression library with antibodies directed against a 95-kDa vacuolar integral membrane protein. Deletion disruption of the VPH1 gene revealed that the VPH1 gene is not essential for viability but is required for vacuolar H(+)-ATPase assembly and vacuolar acidification. VPH1 encodes a predicted polypeptide of 840 amino acid residues (molecular mass 95.6 kDa) and contains six putative membrane-spanning regions. Cell fractionation and immunodetection demonstrate that Vph1p is a vacuolar integral membrane protein that co-purifies with vacuolar H(+)-ATPase activity. Multiple sequence alignments show extensive homology over the entire lengths of the following four polypeptides: Vph1p, the 116-kDa polypeptide of the rat clathrin-coated vesicles/synaptic vesicle proton pump, the predicted polypeptide encoded by the yeast gene STV1 (Similar To VPH1, identified as an open reading frame next to the BUB2 gene), and the TJ6 mouse immune suppressor factor.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Gene expression and receptor binding of insulin-like growth factor-II in pig choroid plexus epithelial cells.

To elucidate the function of insulin-like growth factor-II (IGF-II) in the choroid plexus, the gene expression and receptor binding of IGF-II were studied in isolated epithelial cells from the porcine choroid plexus. The choroid plexus expressed multiple IGF-II transcripts of 1.2, 1.6, 2.4, and 4.4 kb, at levels higher than those found in porcine liver and kidney. These data suggest that IGF-II is synthesized by the choroid plexus. Choroid plexus epithelial cells contained high levels of IGF-I receptors on the cell surface whereas very low levels of receptor binding were found for 125I-IGF-II and 125I-insulin. Solubilization of epithelial cells showed that a large proportion of the IGF-I receptors were present in the detergent-insoluble fraction whereas IGF-II receptors and insulin receptors were concentrated in the detergent-soluble fraction. These results suggest that IGF-I receptors are located in clathrin-coated pits of the plasma membrane whereas IGF-II receptors and insulin receptors are present in endosomal vesicles. The tyrosine kinase activity of the IGF-I receptor beta-subunit was stimulated by IGF-I, IGF-II, and insulin, in order of potency, suggesting that these peptides exert a regulatory function in the choroid plexus epithelium. In conclusion, we propose that the IGF-I receptor tyrosine kinase on the surface of the epithelial cells in the pig choroid plexus mediates effects of IGF-I and IGF-II, whereas IGF-II receptors are down-regulated due to the synthesis and secretion of IGF-II in these cells.

Affinity Labels↗

Subcellular distribution of beta 2-adrenergic receptors delineated with quantitative ultrastructural autoradiography of radioligand binding sites.

beta-Adrenergic receptors play a critical role in signal transduction in the cardiovascular system. Regulation of beta-adrenergic receptor expression depends on multiple factors, including rates of synthesis and degradation of receptor protein and trafficking of receptors between the cell surface and putative intracellular compartments. To characterize the subcellular distribution of beta-adrenergic receptors and to delineate the ultrastructure of intracellular compartments in which adrenergic receptors reside in the steady state, we studied Chinese hamster fibroblast cells transfected with the human beta 2-adrenergic receptor gene. beta 2-Adrenergic receptors of these cells were covalently labeled with the lipophilic photoactivatable antagonist [125I]iodocyanopindolol diazarine, and specific radioligand binding sites were localized at the ultrastructural level of resolution with quantitative electron microscopic autoradiography. The density of beta 2-adrenergic receptors was approximately 100-fold greater in the plasmalemma than in any other compartment. Approximately 50% of total cellular receptors were identified on the cell surface in an apparently random, nonclustered distribution and without association with clathrin-coated pits or other cell surface structural specializations. The remaining receptors were distributed among intracellular membranous compartments, including smooth vesicles, rough endoplasmic reticulum, and the Golgi apparatus, organelles presumably involved in stages of receptor synthesis, degradation, or trafficking. In the basal state, there was no association of beta 2-adrenergic receptors with coated intracellular vesicles typical of the endocytotic pathway of selected cell surface receptors that function to internalize their extracellular ligands. These results are the first to rigorously quantify the subcellular distribution of beta-adrenergic receptors and unequivocally establish the presence of a substantial pool of intracellular receptors.

Animals↗

Glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol-anchored membrane proteins.

Many proteins of eukaryotic cells are anchored to membranes by covalent linkage to glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol (GPI). These proteins lack a transmembrane domain, have no cytoplasmic tail, and are, therefore, located exclusively on the extracellular side of the plasma membrane. GPI-anchored proteins form a diverse family of molecules that includes membrane-associated enzymes, adhesion molecules, activation antigens, differentiation markers, protozoan coat components, and other miscellaneous glycoproteins. In the kidney, several GPI-anchored proteins have been identified, including uromodulin (Tamm-Horsfall glycoprotein), carbonic anhydrase type IV, alkaline phosphatase, Thy-1, BP-3, aminopeptidase P, and dipeptidylpeptidase. GPI-anchored proteins can be released from membranes with specific phospholipases and can be recovered from the detergent-insoluble pellet after Triton X-114 treatment of membranes. All GPI-anchored proteins are initially synthesized with a transmembrane anchor, but after translocation across the membrane of the endoplasmic reticulum, the ecto-domain of the protein is cleaved and covalently linked to a preformed GPI anchor by a specific transamidase enzyme. Although it remains obscure why so many proteins are endowed with a GPI anchor, the presence of a GPI anchor does confer some functional characteristics to proteins: (1) it is a strong apical targeting signal in polarized epithelial cells; (2) GPI-anchored proteins do not cluster into clathrin-coated pits but instead are concentrated into specialized lipid domains in the membrane, including so-called smooth pinocytotic vesicles, or caveoli; (3) GPI-anchored proteins can act as activation antigens in the immune system; (4) when the GPI anchor is cleaved by PI-phospholipase C or PI-phospholipase D, second messengers for signal transduction may be generated; (5) the GPI anchor can modulate antigen presentation by major histocompatibility complex molecules. Finally, at least one human disease, paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria, is a result of defective GPI anchor addition to plasma membrane proteins.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Processing of vasoactive intestinal peptide and transferrin in human cancerous colonic cells.

Endocytosis of vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) and of transferrin (Tf) was comparatively studied in human cancerous colonic HT-29 cells. Cellular depletion in potassium inhibits the internalization of VIP (23%) and to a greater extent (42%) that of Tf. This indicates that clathrin-coated pits are also involved, at least in part, in VIP uptake. The distribution of 125I-Tf- or 125I-VIP-containing vesicles in sucrose gradients revealed low and high density vesicle subpopulations. The low density vesicle subpopulation represented a transient compartment from which incoming vesicles containing N-leucyl-beta naphthylamidase were recycled back to the membrane while those containing beta-hexosaminidase (HA) and ligand were mostly transferred into the high density compartment. Subsequent fusion of the latter with heavy vesicles was demonstrated by the shift of HA and ligand with vesicles that had been prelabeled with horseradish peroxidase (HRP). Simultaneous internalization of Tf-HRP and 125I-VIP showed that both the low and high density vesicle subpopulations comprised of two types of VIP-containing vesicle, as confirmed by the density shift reaction: two-thirds of VIP shifted with the Tf-HRP-containing vesicles to denser fractions and the remaining was found with unshifted vesicles. These findings indicate that the VIP-receptor complex processing in HT-29 cells follows two routes, the major route being common with Tf endocytosis.

Coated Pits, Cell-Membrane↗

5'nucleotidase is sorted to the apical domain of hepatocytes via an indirect route.

In hepatocytes, all newly synthesized plasma membrane (PM) proteins so far studied arrive first at the basolateral domain; apically destined proteins are subsequently endocytosed and sorted to the apical domain via transcytosis. A mechanism for the sorting of newly synthesized glycophosphatidylinositol (GPI)-linked proteins has been proposed whereby they associate in lipid microdomains in the trans-Golgi network and then arrive at the apical domain directly. Such a mechanism poses a potential exception to the hepatocyte rule. We have used pulse-chase techniques in conjunction with subcellular fractionation to compare the trafficking of 5' nucleotidase (5NT), an endogenous GPI-anchored protein of hepatocytes, with two transmembrane proteins. Using a one-step fractionation technique to separate a highly enriched fraction of Golgi-derived membranes from ER and PM, we find that both 5NT and the polymeric IgA receptor (pIgAR) traverse the ER and Golgi apparatus with high efficiency. Using a method that resolves PM vesicles derived from the apical and basolateral domains, we find that 5NT first appears at the basolateral domain as early as 30 min of chase. However the subsequent redistribution to the apical domain requires > 3.5 h of chase to reach steady state. This rate of transcytosis is much slower than that observed for dipeptidylpeptidase IV, an apical protein anchored via a single transmembrane domain. We propose that the slow rate of transcytosis is related to the fact that GPI-linked proteins are excluded from clathrin-coated pits/vesicles, and instead must be endocytosed via a slower nonclathrin pathway.

5'-Nucleotidase↗

The mechanism of receptor-mediated endocytosis: more questions than answers.

Receptor-mediated endocytosis occurs via clathrin-coated pits and is therefore coupled to the dynamic cycle of assembly and disassembly of the coat constituents. These coat proteins comprise part, but certainly not all, of the machinery involved in the recognition of membrane receptors and their selective packaging into transport vesicles for internalization. Despite considerable knowledge about the biochemistry of coated vesicles and purified coat proteins, little is known about the mechanisms of coated pit assembly, receptor-sorting and coated vesicle formation. Cell-free assays which faithfully reconstitute these events provide powerful new tools with which to elucidate the overall mechanism of receptor-mediated endocytosis.

Adaptor Protein Complex alpha Subunits↗

An ultrastructural study of thrombomodulin endocytosis: internalization occurs via clathrin-coated and non-coated pits.

The regulation of thrombomodulin (TM) expression has been reported to occur by several mechanisms. We have examined constitutive internalization of TM using immunofluorescent and electron microscopic (EM) methods. A cell model was developed to study this process by introducing TM DNA into COS-7 cells for expression. The recombinant TM was determined to behave similarly to native TM from human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) with respect to M(r) and cell surface functional activity. The transfected cells expressed 8-100-fold more functional TM per cell than HUVEC. Immunofluorescent studies on these cells indicated that anti-TM antibody-TM complex was internalized in a time- and temperature-dependent manner, with internalization detectable within 10 minutes. When the cells were incubated at 4 degrees C with gold-labelled anti-TM antibody, most of the gold particles were surface bound and detected by EM as individual particles or clusters of 2 or 3 particles. Initiation of endocytosis for 10 to 60 minutes resulted in a redistribution of gold particles into small clusters predominantly in non-coated pits and rarely in clathrin-coated pits, subsequently in early endosomes, multivesicular bodies, and lysosomes. Similar studies were performed with gold-conjugated thrombin, demonstrating a similar route of intracellular processing. These studies provide ultrastructural evidence that the process of endocytosis of TM involves the participation of both clathrin-coated and non-coated pits and vesicles, but that the latter process predominates. Further structure/function studies are indicated using our cell model, since defects in the endocytic pathway of this important anticoagulant receptor may contribute to the development of thromboembolic disease.

Animals↗

Annexin VI is required for budding of clathrin-coated pits.

Isolated plasma membranes attached to a solid substratum at 4 degrees C have numerous clathrin-coated pits. These pits initially are flat but become deeply invaginated after warming to 37 degrees C. The pits remain tethered to the membrane in this rounded condition unless supplied with ATP, Ca2+, and cytosol. We now show that when cytosol is treated to remove the Ca(2+)-dependent, phospholipid-binding protein annexin VI, coated pit budding no longer takes place. Addition of purified annexin VI back to the annexin VI-depleted cytosol restores budding activity to normal. Purified annexin VI alone shows only a modest budding activity, suggesting that the cytosol contains a factor(s) in addition to annexin VI that is required for full activity. Cytosol-dependent activation of annexin VI requires both ATP and Ca2+. Annexin VI appears to be not only an active component in the detachment of coated pits from the membrane but also a site for regulating the formation of coated vesicles.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗