The Structures of Natively Assembled Clathrin Coated Vesicles

Vesicle trafficking by clathrin coated vesicles (CCVs) is one of the major mechanisms by which proteins and nutrients are absorbed by the cell and transported between organelles. The individual proteins comprising the coated vesicles include clathrin heavy chain, clathrin light chain, and a variety of adaptor protein complexes. Much is known about the structures of the individual CCV components, but data are lacking about the structures of the fully assembled complexes together with membrane and in complex with cargo. Here we determined the structures of natively assembled CCVs in a variety of geometries. We show that the adaptor β2-appendages crosslink adjacent CHC β-propellers and that the appendage densities reside almost exclusively in CCV hexagonal faces. We resolve how AP2 and other associated factors in hexagonal faces form an assembly hub with an extensive web of interactions between neighboring β-propellers and propose a structural model that explains how adaptor binding can direct the formation of pentagonal and hexagonal faces.