caveolae

Caveolae are small plasmalemmal vesicles of distinct, flask-shaped morphology. Caveolae are formed through the oligomerization of its structural proteins, caveolin-1 and caveolin-2, to form distinctive coat appearing as bipolar-oriented, thin striations surrounding the bulb of the caveloa.

Membrane microdomains such as caveolae are sites of signal transduction. Many cell types including fibroblasts and endothelial cells contain small flask shaped invaginations of the plasma membrane. These structures are enriched in various signaling molecules including cell surface receptors that are attached by a lipid anchor.

Caveolae are 50-100 nm invaginations of the plasma membrane. The caveolins are a family of proteins intimately involved in caveolar function.

Caveolae and caveolins are involved in a variety of cellular processes including endocytosis, lipid homeostasis, signal transduction, and tumorigenesis.

Roles

 endocytosis
 lipid homeostasis
 signal transduction
 tumorigenesis

Features

 caveolae trafficking

Role

 transcytosis
 endocytosis

Anomalies - Structural alterations of caveolae

References

 Parton RG, Simons K. The multiple faces of caveolae. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol. 2007 Mar;8(3):185-94. PMID: 17318224

 Carver LA, Schnitzer JE. Caveolae: mining little caves for new cancer targets. Nat Rev Cancer. 2003 Aug;3(8):571-81. PMID: 12894245

 van Deurs B, Roepstorff K, Hommelgaard AM, Sandvig K. Caveolae: anchored, multifunctional platforms in the lipid ocean. Trends Cell Biol. 2003 Feb;13(2):92-100. PMID: 12559760

 Galbiati F, Razani B, Lisanti MP. Caveolae and caveolin-3 in muscular dystrophy. Trends Mol Med. 2001 Oct;7(10):435-41. PMID: 11597517

 Couet J, Belanger MM, Roussel E, Drolet MC. Cell biology of caveolae and caveolin. Adv Drug Deliv Rev. 2001 Jul 28;49(3):223-35. PMID: 11551396

 Gumbleton M, Abulrob AG, Campbell L. Caveolae: an alternative membrane transport compartment.
Pharm Res. 2000 Sep;17(9):1035-48. PMID: 11087034