clathrin

[klath-rin]

noun

Cell Biology.

1. a basketlike network of protein molecules that forms on the cell membrane in response to the attachment of ligands to receptors and becomes the inside surface of the coated vesicle during endocytosis.

Word History and Origins

Origin of clathrin¹

Probably clathr(ate) + -in ²

Example Sentences

The authors also imaged the locations of partially assembled and empty clathrin cages- lattice-like structures that play a pivotal role in recycling SVs back into cells -- inside neurons.

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There are very few images of empty clathrin cages in the literature, she adds.

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If clathrin pathways go wrong, the result can be cancer, nervous system defects, developmental defects or infectious diseases; some microbes can hijack clathrin pathways to enter cells.

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In humans there are two clathrin types.

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The original form of the gene that encoded CHC22, which first evolved around 450 million years ago, produced a clathrin that held the glucose transporter tightly inside muscle and fat.

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