Clathrin is the main structural component of the lattice covering the cytoplasmic face of the coated pits and coated vesicles in
which specific macromolecules are entrapped in the process of receptor-mediated endocytosis. Clathrin is a large, soluble
protein composed of heavy chains (molecular size, about 192 kD) and light chains (molecular size, about 32-38 kD). Two
major classes of clathrin light chains, referred to as LCA and LCB, have been identified.
NCBI Summary:
Clathrin is a large, soluble protein composed of heavy and light chains. It functions as the main structural component of the lattice-type cytoplasmic face of coated pits and vesicles which entrap specific macromolecules during receptor-mediated endocytosis. This gene encodes one of two clathrin light chain proteins which are believed to function as regulatory elements. Alternative splicing results in multiple transcript variants. Related pseudogenes have been identified on chromosomes 8 and 12. [provided by RefSeq]
General function
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Cellular localization
Plasma membrane
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Ovarian function
Oocyte maturation
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Clathrin is essential for meiotic spindle function in oocytes. H?nspies JJ et al. In the mammalian ovary, oocytes are arrested at prophase of meiosis I until a hormonal stimulus triggers resumption of meiosis. During the subsequent meiotic maturation process, which includes completion of the first meiotic division and formation of the second metaphase spindle, oocytes acquire competence for fertilization. Recently, it was shown that clathrin, a cytosolic protein complex originally defined for its role in intracellular membrane traffic, is also involved in the stabilization of kinetochore fibers in mitotic spindles of dividing somatic cells. However, whether clathrin has a similar function in meiotic spindles in oocytes has not been investigated previously. Our results show that endogenous clathrin associates with the meiotic spindles in oocytes. To study the function of clathrin during meiotic maturation, we microinjected green fluorescent protein-tagged C-terminal and N-terminal dominant-negative clathrin protein constructs into isolated porcine oocytes prior to in vitro maturation. Both protein constructs associated with meiotic spindles similar to endogenous clathrin, but induced misalignment and clumping of chromosomes, occurrence of cytoplasmic chromatin, and failure of polar body extrusion. These data demonstrate that clathrin plays a crucial role in meiotic spindle function in maturing oocytes, possibly through spindle stabilization.
Expression regulated by
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Ovarian localization
Oocyte
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Clathrin heavy chain plays multiple roles in polarizing the Drosophila oocyte downstream of Bic-D. Vazquez-Pianzola P 2014 et al.
Bicaudal-D (Bic-D), Egalitarian (Egl), microtubules and their motors form a transport machinery that localizes a remarkable diversity of mRNAs to specific cellular regions during oogenesis and embryogenesis. Bic-D family proteins also promote dynein-dependent transport of Golgi vesicles, lipid droplets, synaptic vesicles and nuclei. However, the transport of these different cargoes is still poorly understood. We searched for novel proteins that either mediate Bic-D-dependent transport processes or are transported by them. Clathrin heavy chain (Chc) co-immunopurifies with Bic-D in embryos and ovaries, and a fraction of Chc colocalizes with Bic-D. Both proteins control posterior patterning of the Drosophila oocyte and endocytosis. Although the role of Chc in endocytosis is well established, our results show that Bic-D is also needed for the elevated endocytic activity at the posterior of the oocyte. Apart from affecting endocytosis indirectly by its role in osk mRNA localization, Bic-D is also required to transport Chc mRNA into the oocyte and for transport and proper localization of Chc protein to the oocyte cortex, pointing to an additional, more direct role of Bic-D in the endocytic pathway. Furthermore, similar to Bic-D, Chc also contributes to proper localization of osk mRNA and to oocyte growth. However, in contrast to other endocytic components and factors of the endocytic recycling pathway, such as Rabenosyn-5 (Rbsn-5) and Rab11, Chc is needed during early stages of oogenesis (from stage 6 onwards) to localize osk mRNA correctly. Moreover, we also uncovered a novel, presumably endocytosis-independent, role of Chc in the establishment of microtubule polarity in stage 6 oocytes.
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