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Structure and function of endothelial caveolae
Author(s) -
Stan RaduVirgil
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
microscopy research and technique
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.536
H-Index - 118
eISSN - 1097-0029
pISSN - 1059-910X
DOI - 10.1002/jemt.10089
Subject(s) - caveolae , transcytosis , endocytosis , microbiology and biotechnology , caveolin , sphingolipid , lipid raft , vesicle , biology , signal transduction , caveolin 1 , chemistry , membrane , receptor , biochemistry
Caveolae are spherical invaginations of the plasma membrane and associated vesicles that are found at high surface densities in most cells, endothelia included. Their structural framework has been shown to consist of oligomerized caveolin molecules interacting with cholesterol and sphingolipids. Caveolae have been involved in many cellular functions such as endocytosis, signal transduction, mechano‐transduction, potocytosis, and cholesterol trafficking. Some confusion still persists in the field with respect to the relationship between caveolae and the lipid rafts, which have been involved in many of the above functions. In addition to all these, endothelial caveolae have been involved in capillary permeability by their participation in the process of transcytosis. This short review will focus on their structure and components, methods used to determine these components, and the role of caveolae in the transendothelial exchanges between blood plasma and the interstitial fluid. Microsc. Res. Tech. 57:350–364, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.