title: Crowded little caves: structure and function of caveolae.
abstract: Caveolae are small vesicular invaginations of the cell membrane. It is within this organelle that cells perform transcytosis, potocytosis and signal transduction. These "little caves" are composed of a mixture of lipids and proteins unlike those found in the plasma membrane proper. The chief structural proteins of caveolae are caveolins. To date, three caveolins (Cav-1, -2 and -3) with unique tissue distributions have been identified. Caveolins form a scaffold onto which many signalling molecules can assemble, to generate pre-assembled signalling complexes. In addition to concentrating these signal transducers within a distinct region of the plasma membrane, caveolin binding may functionally regulate the activation state of caveolae-associated signalling molecules.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Pharmacology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schlegel
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Volonte
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Engelman
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Galbiati
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mehta
authors.forename: X L
authors.initials: XL
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: P E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Scherer
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Lisanti
mesh_terms: D051242:Caveolin 1; D022461:Caveolins; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D006801:Humans; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D015388:Organelles / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: C495540:CAV1 protein, human; D051242:Caveolin 1; D022461:Caveolins; D008565:Membrane Proteins