Recruitment of coat proteins to liposomes and peptidoliposomes

Intracellular transport within the cell is generally mediated by membrane vesicles. Their formation is typically initiated by activation of small GTPases that then recruit cytosolic proteins to the membrane surface to form a coat, interact with cargo and accessory proteins, and deform the lipid bilayer to produce a transport vesicle. Liposomes proved to be a useful tool to study the molecular mechanisms of these processes in vitro. Here we describe the use of liposomes and peptidoliposomes presenting lipid-coupled cytosolic tails of cargo proteins for the in vitro analysis of the membrane recruitment of AP-1 adaptors in the process of forming AP-1/clathrin coats. AP-1 recruitment is mediated by the GTPase Arf1 and requires specific lipids and cargo signals. Interaction with cargo induces AP-1 oligomerization already in the absence of clathrin. Without cargo peptides, accessory proteins, such as amphiphysin 2, can be identified that stabilize AP-1 binding to liposomal membranes.