Final answer:
Clathrin coats are involved in endocytosis, where substances are internalized by cells. The vesicles formed with clathrin coats lose their coat, fuse with endosomes, and eventually with lysosomes for degradation. Auxilin is a protein that aids in the disassembly of the clathrin coat.
Step-by-step explanation:
Clathrin coats play a key role in endocytosis, which is the process by which cells take in substances from their external environment. Once internalized, the coated vesicles lose their clathrin coat and fuse with an early endosome to form a sorting vesicle. The sorting vesicle separates the imported content from the receptors, which are recycled to the membrane. In the vesicle that remains, now a lysosome, digestive enzymes break down the vesicle contents.
Auxilin is a protein that helps disassemble the clathrin coat. Auxilin interacts with Hsc70, a chaperone protein, to uncoat the clathrin-coated vesicles. This uncoating is necessary for the vesicles to fuse with the endosomes and lysosomes.