Caveolae

In biology, caveolae (Latin for "little caves"; singular, caveola), which are a special type of lipid raft, are small (50–100 nanometer) invaginations of the plasma membrane in the cells of many vertebrates. They are the most abundant surface feature of many vertebrate cell types, especially endothelial cells, adipocytes and embryonic notochord cells.[1][2] They were originally discovered by E. Yamada in 1955.[3]

These flask-shaped structures are rich in proteins as well as lipids such as cholesterol and sphingolipids and have several functions in signal transduction.[4] They are also believed to play a role in mechanoprotection, mechanosensation, endocytosis, oncogenesis, and the uptake of pathogenic bacteria and certain viruses.[5][6][3][7]

  1. ^ Nixon, Susan J.; Carter, Adrian; Wegner, Jeremy; Ferguson, Charles; Floetenmeyer, Matthias; Riches, Jamie; Key, Brian; Westerfield, Monte; Parton, Robert G. (1 July 2007). "Caveolin-1 is required for lateral line neuromast and notochord development". Journal of Cell Science. 120 (13): 2151–2161. doi:10.1242/jcs.003830. PMID 17550965.
  2. ^ Lo, Harriet P; Hall, Thomas E; Parton, Robert G (13 January 2016). "Mechanoprotection by skeletal muscle caveolae". BioArchitecture. 6 (1): 22–27. doi:10.1080/19490992.2015.1131891. PMC 4914031. PMID 26760312.
  3. ^ a b Li, Xiang-An; Everson, William V.; Smart, Eric J. (April 2005). "Caveolae, Lipid Rafts, and Vascular Disease". Trends in Cardiovascular Medicine. 15 (3): 92–96. doi:10.1016/j.tcm.2005.04.001. PMID 16039968.
  4. ^ Anderson, Richard G. W. (June 1998). "The caveolae membrane system". Annual Review of Biochemistry. 67 (1): 199–225. doi:10.1146/annurev.biochem.67.1.199. PMID 9759488.
  5. ^ Parton, Robert G.; del Pozo, Miguel A. (February 2013). "Caveolae as plasma membrane sensors, protectors and organizers". Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology. 14 (2): 98–112. doi:10.1038/nrm3512. PMID 23340574. S2CID 21940682.
  6. ^ Frank, Philippe G; Lisanti, Michael P (October 2004). "Caveolin-1 and caveolae in atherosclerosis: differential roles in fatty streak formation and neointimal hyperplasia". Current Opinion in Lipidology. 15 (5): 523–529. doi:10.1097/00041433-200410000-00005. PMID 15361787. S2CID 20778606.
  7. ^ Pelkmans, Lucas (December 2005). "Secrets of caveolae- and lipid raft-mediated endocytosis revealed by mammalian viruses". Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Molecular Cell Research. 1746 (3): 295–304. doi:10.1016/j.bbamcr.2005.06.009. PMID 16126288.