title: Caveolins, caveolae, and lipid rafts in cellular transport, signaling, and disease.
abstract: Caveolae were initially described some 50 years ago. For many decades, they remained predominantly of interest to structural biologists. The identification of a molecular marker for these domains, caveolin, combined with the possibility to isolate such cholesterol- and sphingolipid-rich regions as detergent-insoluble membrane complexes paved the way to more rigorous characterization of composition, regulation, and function. Experiments with knock-out mice for the caveolin genes clearly demonstrate the importance of caveolin-1 and -3 in formation of caveolae. Nonetheless, detergent-insoluble domains are also found in cells lacking caveolin expression and are referred to here as lipid rafts. Caveolae and lipid rafts were shown to represent membrane compartments enriched in a large number of signaling molecules whose structural integrity is essential for many signaling processes. Caveolin-1 is an essential structural component of cell surface caveolae, important for regulating trafficking and mobility of these vesicles. In addition, caveolin-1 is found at many other intracellular locations. Variations in subcellular localization are paralleled by a plethora of ascribed functions for this protein. Here, more recent data addressing the role of caveolin-1 in cellular signaling and the development of diseases like cancer will be preferentially discussed.
authors.affiliation: Centro FONDAP de Estudios Molecualrs de la Célula, Programa de Biología Celular y Molecular, Universidad de Chile, Indepencia 1027, Santiago, Chile. aquest@med.uchile.cl
authors.forename: Andrew F G
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Quest
authors.forename: Lisette
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Leyton
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Párraga
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001692:Biological Transport; D021941:Caveolae / Q000378:metabolism*; D051242:Caveolin 1; D022461:Caveolins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D006801:Humans; D007239:Infections / Q000378:metabolism; D021962:Membrane Microdomains / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D008954:Models, Biological; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: C495540:CAV1 protein, human; C495541:Cav1 protein, mouse; D051242:Caveolin 1; D022461:Caveolins