Synaptic Vesicle Size and Number Are Regulated by a Clathrin Adaptor Protein Required for Endocytosis

• Published in: Neuron (Cambridge, Mass.) Mass.), 1998-12, Vol.21 (6), p.1465-1475
• Main Authors: Zhang, Bing, Koh, Young Ho, Beckstead, Robert B, Budnik, Vivian, Ganetzky, Barry, Bellen, Hugo J
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adaptor Proteins, Vesicular Transport; Amino Acid Sequence; Animals; Axons - physiology; Axons - ultrastructure; CCAAT-Enhancer-Binding Proteins; clathrin adaptor protein; DNA-Binding Proteins - chemistry; DNA-Binding Proteins - genetics; DNA-Binding Proteins - metabolism; Drosophila - embryology; Drosophila - genetics; Embryo, Nonmammalian - physiology; Endocytosis; Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; Gene Library; Molecular Sequence Data; Monomeric Clathrin Assembly Proteins; Nerve Endings - physiology; Nerve Endings - ultrastructure; Nerve Tissue Proteins - chemistry; Nerve Tissue Proteins - genetics; Nerve Tissue Proteins - metabolism; Nuclear Proteins - chemistry; Nuclear Proteins - genetics; Nuclear Proteins - metabolism; Phosphoproteins - chemistry; Phosphoproteins - genetics; Phosphoproteins - metabolism; Sequence Alignment; Synaptic Vesicles - physiology; Synaptic Vesicles - ultrastructure
• ISSN: 0896-6273; 1097-4199
• DOI: 10.1016/S0896-6273(00)80664-9

Clathrin-mediated endocytosis is thought to involve the activity of the clathrin adaptor protein AP180. However, the role of this protein in endocytosis in vivo remains unknown. Here, we show that a mutation that eliminates an AP180 homolog (LAP) in Drosophila severely impairs the efficiency of synaptic vesicle endocytosis and alters the normal localization of clathrin in nerve terminals. Most importantly, the size of both synaptic vesicles and quanta is significantly increased in lap mutants. These results provide novel insights into the molecular mechanism of endocytosis and reveal a role for AP180 in regulating vesicle size through a clathrin-dependent reassembly process.