Pfam PF01086: Clathrin light chain (family)
Proteins synthesized on the ribosome and processed in the endoplasmic reticulum are transported from the Golgi apparatus to the trans-Golgi network (TGN), and from there via small carrier vesicles to their final destination compartment. These vesicles have specific coat proteins (such as clathrin or coatomer) that are important for cargo selection and direction of transport . Clathrin coats contain both clathrin (acts as a scaffold) and adaptor complexes that link clathrin to receptors in coated vesicles. Clathrin-associated protein complexes are believed to interact with the cytoplasmic tails of membrane proteins, leading to their selection and concentration. The two major types of clathrin adaptor complexes are the heterotetrameric adaptor protein (AP) complexes, and the monomeric GGA (Golgi-localising, Gamma-adaptin ear domain homology, ARF-binding proteins) adaptors .
Clathrin is a trimer composed of three heavy chains and three light chains, each monomer projecting outwards like a leg; this three-legged structure is known as a triskelion . The heavy chains form the legs, their N-terminal Î²-propeller regions extending outwards, while their C-terminal Î±-Î±-superhelical regions form the central hub of the triskelion. Peptide motifs can bind between the Î²-propeller blades. The light chains appear to have a regulatory role, and may help orient the assembly and disassembly of clathrin coats as they interact with hsc70 uncoating ATPase . Clathrin triskelia self-polymerise into a curved lattice by twisting individual legs together. The clathrin lattice forms around a vesicle as it buds from the TGN, plasma membrane or endosomes, acting to stabilise the vesicle and facilitate the budding process . The multiple blades created when the triskelia polymerise are involved in multiple protein interactions, enabling the recruitment of different cargo adaptors and membrane attachment proteins .
This entry represents clathrin light chains, which are more divergent in sequence than the heavy chains . In higher eukaryotes, two genes encode distinct but related light chains, each of which can yield two separate forms via alternative splicing. In yeast there is a single light chain whose sequence is only distantly related to that of higher eukaryotes. Clathrin light chains have a conserved acidic N-terminal domain, a central coiled-coil domain and a conserved C-terminal domain.
Wikipedia: Clathrin is a protein that plays a role in the formation of coated vesicles. Clathrin was first isolated by Barbara Pearse in 1976. It forms a triskelion shape composed of three clathrin heavy chains and three light chains. When the triskelia interact they form a polyhedral lattice that surrounds the vesicle. The protein's name refers to this lattice structure, deriving from Latin clathri meaning lattice. Barbara Pearse named the protein clathrin at the suggestion of Graeme Mitchison, selecting it from three possible options. Coat-proteins, like clathrin, are used to build small vesicles in order to transport molecules within cells. The endocytosis and exocytosis of vesicles allows cells to communicate, to transfer nutrients, to import signaling receptors, to mediate an immune response after sampling the extracellular world, and to clean up the cell debris left by tissue inflammation. The endocytic pathway can be hijacked by viruses and other pathogens in order to gain entry to the cell during infection.