Acid Vesicle System

Acid Vesicle System

An intracellular molecular complex, which is present in nucleated mammalian cells, formed by receptor-mediated endocytosis, in which a ligand—molecule being internalised—is bound to receptors that cluster in specialised submembranous regions (pits), which are “coated” by a protein, clathrin; once internalised, the vesicles are acidified, releasing the bound protein.
Types of acid vesicles Coated vesicles (receptor-mediated macromolecule transport from the cell surface), endosomes (macromolecule sorting), lysosomes (degradation of internalised macromolecules) and Golgi complex
Correlates AVS defects are implicated in familial hypercholesterolemia, myotonic dystrophy, I-cell disease, type III mucolipidosis, and infections—e.g., chlamydial, Legionella spp, nocardiosis, toxoplasmosis, chloroquine-resistant malaria NEJM 1987; 317:542rv; at pH 5-5.6, the ligand dissociates from its receptor; subcellular structures may also form as a result of lysosomal enzyme targeting similar to receptor-mediated endocytosis, but it is poorly understood.

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