Adaptors for clathrin-mediated traffic

Clathrin-based systems are responsible for a large portion of vesicular tra ffic originating from the plasma membrane and the trans-Golgi network that reaches the endosomal compartment. The assembly of cytosolic clathrin forms the scaffold required for the local deformation of the membrane and for th e formation of coated pits and vesicles. In this process, clathrin interact s in a coordinated fashion with a large number of protein partners. A subse t designated clathrin adaptors links integral membrane proteins to the clat hrin coat, a process that results in the recruitment of specific cargo prot eins to the budding vesicle. This review focuses on the most recent advance s dealing with the molecular basis for sorting by clathrin adaptors.