Everything about Caveolae totally explained
In
biology,
caveolae (
Latin for
little caves) are small (50–100
nanometer) invaginations of the
plasma membrane in many vertebrate
cell types, especially in
endothelial cells and
adipocytes. Some cell types, like
neurons, may completely lack caveolae.
These flask-shaped structures are rich in
proteins as well as
lipids such as
cholesterol and
sphingolipids and have several functions in
signal transduction (
Anderson, 1998
). They are also believed to play a role in
endocytosis,
oncogenesis, and the uptake of
pathogenic
bacteria and certain
viruses.
Caveolae are one source of
clathrin-independent endocytosis involved in turnover of adhesive complexes.
Formation and maintenance of caveolae is primarily due to the
protein caveolin. This protein has both a
cytoplasmic C-terminus and a cytoplasmic N-terminus, linked together by a
hydrophobic hairpin that's inserted into the membrane. The presence of caveolin leads to the local change in
morphology of the membrane.
Because of their specific lipid content, caveolae are sometimes considered as a caveolin-positive subset of
lipid rafts.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Caveolae'.
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