Final answer:
A clathrin coat disassembles through the action of auxilin and ATP hydrolysis, which allows the vesicle to fuse with an early endosome. Auxilin is an uncoating protein that facilitates the removal of the clathrin coat after vesicle internalization.
Step-by-step explanation:
The clathrin coat disassembles through the action of uncoating proteins such as auxilin. Auxilin, along with the energy provided by ATP hydrolysis, helps to remove the clathrin coat from the vesicle after it has been internalized within the cell. This process is crucial for the vesicle to fuse with an early endosome, eventually leading to the sorting of vesicular contents and the recycling of the receptors to the cell membrane.
During receptor-mediated endocytosis, clathrin plays a significant role in stabilizing the invaginated membrane. It is recruited to the plasma membrane through adaptor protein 1 (AP1), which connects it to specific membrane proteins that bind cargo. Following internalization, the clathrin-coated vesicle fuses with a lysosome, leading to the breakdown of vesicular contents and their release for cellular use.