Uncoating ATPase (hsc70)

A protein involved in the removal of the clathrin coat of vesicles

General Information

Clathrin coated vesicles are involved in a wide variety of transport events of the eucaryotic cell. This includes receptor mediated endocytosis or the recycling of synaptic vesicles in nerve terminals.
Before the vesicles can fuse with the endosomal compartment the clathrin coat has to be removed in an ATP dependent process. Uncoating ATPase (UA), also referred to as hsc70, has been shown to be functionally involved in this process.
Uncoating ATPase belongs to the heatshock protein (hsp70) family. Most proteins of this family are molecular chaperones and the uncoating ATPase shares the ability to refold proteins in several cellular processes.