Vesicle fusion following receptor-mediated endocytosis requires a protein active in Golgi transport

Abstract
IN reconstitution studies N-ethylmaleimide, a sulphydryl alkylating reagent, inhibits both fusion of endocytic vesicles1–3 and vesicular transport in the Golgi apparatus4. We show here that the same N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor that catalyses the vesicle-mediated transport within Golgi stacks is also required for endocytic vesicle fusion. Thus, it is likely that a common mechanism for vesicle fusion exists for both the secretory and endocytic pathways of eukaryotic cells.