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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2015 Apr 2.
Published in final edited form as: Physiol Rev. 2011 Jul;91(3):1009–1022. doi: 10.1152/physrev.00015.2010

Figure 2. Clathrin-mediated endocytosis.

Figure 2

The receptors cluster in specialized sites at the plasma membrane known as clathrin-coated pits, which invaginate and pinch off to form clathrin-coated vesicles (CCVs), a process that is dependent on dynamin. The clathrin adaptor protein (AP)-2 is a central component in the formation of these vesicles, forging a link between membrane proteins and clathrin that forms the outer layer of the coat. The vesicles subsequently lose their coat and fuse together to form an early endosome. Internalized receptors are then either subject to rapid recycling or are targeted for lysosomal degradation, an endocytic sorting decision that is regulated by the Huntingtin-associated protein (HAP)-1.