Adaptor protein complex 3 (AP-3 complex) is a heterotrimeric protein complex involved in the formation of clathrin-coated synaptic vesicles. The protein encoded by this gene represents the beta subunit of the neuron-specific AP-3 complex and was first identified as the target antigen in human paraneoplastic neurologic disorders. The encoded subunit binds clathrin and is phosphorylated by a casein kinase-like protein, which mediates synaptic vesicle coat assembly. Defects in this gene are a cause of early-onset epileptic encephalopathy.