Question

You are studying a mutant cell line that cannot produce the clathrin protein. If no clathrin-coated vesicles could be formed in the cell, how would transport be affected? Be sure to describe each specific transport route that would be impacted by this, based on what is known about where clathrin-coated vesicles are formed and how they travel in the cell.

Answer 1

Before going into the impact of absence of Clathrin-coated vesicles in cell, let's first understand the role of these vesicles.

1. Clathrin-coated vesicles are found in all eukaryotic cells, but they are particularly enriched in the brain.

2. They play a major role in the formation of neurotransmitter-containing pre-synaptic vesicles required for synaptic nerve transmission.

3. They are also involved in transportation of protein molecules from golgi to different parts of body, in particular, brain.

4. They are also responsible for vesicle formation.

Based on the above information, it is clear that clathrin protein plays a key role in transportation. Now, it's easy to determine the consequences if the protein is not present in the cell.

The first and most important impact will be on the transportation of proteins to the brain.