Whether actin has a role in endocytosis in mammalian cells is unclear. Wu et al. showed that, in mice, knockout of the β-actin gene or γ-actin gene impaired various types of endocytosis in calyx-type and hippocampal synapses. The deficits observed in hippocampal boutons could be rescued by the expression of wild-type actin isoforms but not by polymerization-deficient mutant actin. Moreover, knockout of the β-actin gene led to a reduction in the number of membranous pits in such boutons. These data suggest that polymerized actin is crucial for endocytosis at different synapses.
References
Wu, X.-S. et al. Actin is crucial for all kinetically distinguishable forms of endocytosis at synapses. Neuron http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2016.10.014 (2016)
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Yates, D. Endocytic mediators. Nat Rev Neurosci 18, 4 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn.2016.172
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn.2016.172