Clathrin is a major protein component of the cytoplasmic face of intracellular organelles, called coated vesicles and coated pits. These specialized organelles are involved in the intracellular trafficking of receptors and endocytosis of a variety of macromolecules. The basic subunit of the clathrin coat is composed of three heavy chains and three light chains. [provided by RefSeq, Jul 2008].