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Cells interact with their environment at the plasma membrane and through the endocytic pathway. Clathrin-coated pits are specialized regions of the plasma membrane that function to concentrate specific integral membrane receptors. Nutrients, growth factors, viruses and toxins, and immunoglobulins are amoung the many ligands known to bind with high affinity to receptors on the cell surface. The clathrin coated-pit regions of membrane pinch off into the cell, delivering vesicles concentrated with receptors and ligands. This complex, multistep process, known as receptor-mediated endocytosis, involves numerous structural proteins and accessory factors.
This figure diagrams the process of endocytic uptake of receptors into clathrin-coated vesicles at the cell surface and the subsequent recycling of involved proteins for further rounds of uptake. Our research focuses on the cell biology and biochemistry of each of these steps of clathrin-coated vesicle formation.
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