title: Structural and functional division into two domains of the large (100- to 115-kDa) chains of the clathrin-associated protein complex AP-2.
abstract: The clathrin-associated protein complex 2 (AP-2 complex) is a group of proteins associated with clathrin-coated vesicles and believed to interact with cytoplasmic domains of receptors found in the plasma membrane. AP-2 was purified as an assembly of several polypeptide chains (alpha, beta, AP50, and AP17), of which only the alpha and beta chains (100-115 kDa) show significant heterogeneity. We have obtained cDNA clones for two distinct rat brain beta chains. We have also studied the domain organization of bovine brain AP-2 complexes by selective proteolysis. Results of these studies show that the alpha and beta chains have a similar two-domain organization. Their amino-terminal domains are relatively invariant whereas their carboxyl-terminal domains are variable in both sequence and length. We propose that the variable domains select receptors for inclusion in coated vesicles.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kirchhausen
authors.forename: K L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Nathanson
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Matsui
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vaisberg
authors.forename: E P
authors.initials: EP
authors.lastname: Chow
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Burne
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Keen
authors.forename: A E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Davis
mesh_terms: D033962:Adaptor Protein Complex 2; D033983:Adaptor Protein Complex mu Subunits; D034002:Adaptor Protein Complex sigma Subunits; D033942:Adaptor Proteins, Vesicular Transport; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002417:Cattle; D002966:Clathrin; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D003034:Coated Pits, Cell-Membrane / Q000032:analysis; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D008970:Molecular Weight; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000032:analysis; D010750:Phosphoproteins / Q000235:genetics*; D051381:Rats
chemical_list: D033962:Adaptor Protein Complex 2; D033983:Adaptor Protein Complex mu Subunits; D034002:Adaptor Protein Complex sigma Subunits; D033942:Adaptor Proteins, Vesicular Transport; C510067:Ap2s1 protein, rat; D002966:Clathrin; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D010750:Phosphoproteins; C438885:adaptor protein complex 2, mu 1 subunit; D004247:DNA