title: Understanding living clathrin-coated pits.
abstract: Most knowledge of clathrin-mediated endocytosis has been gained by biochemical fractionation and in vitro assays. Recently, the study of endocytosis has extended into the living cell. The tracking of individual clathrin-coated pits and vesicles (CCPs and CCVs) has provided new insight into understanding the dynamic nature of CCPs. The use of total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy (TIR-FM), also termed evanescent field microscopy, has enabled the direct observation of events occurring within a restricted area of the cell adjacent to and including the adherent plasma membrane. TIR-FM is now actively being pursued in the study of endocytic processes. The direct observation of CCP-associated proteins including clathrin itself, dynamin and, most recently, AP-2 has considerably challenged old models, confirming some points but raising very interesting new questions.
authors.affiliation: The Laboratory of Cellular Biophysics, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, Box 304, New York, New York 10021, USA.
authors.forename: Joshua Z
authors.initials: JZ
authors.lastname: Rappoport
authors.forename: Sandford M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Simon
authors.forename: Alexandre
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Benmerah
mesh_terms: D033962:Adaptor Protein Complex 2 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D002966:Clathrin / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D003034:Coated Pits, Cell-Membrane / Q000378:metabolism*; D004705:Endocytosis; D006801:Humans; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence / Q000379:methods*; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D033962:Adaptor Protein Complex 2; D002966:Clathrin; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering