MRC-LMB, Cambridge, UK.
Trends Cell Biol. 2010 Apr;20(4):177-86. doi: 10.1016/j.tcb.2010.01.005. Epub 2010 Feb 12.
Caveolae are ampullate (flask-shaped) invaginations that are abundant in the plasma membrane of many mammalian cell types. Although caveolae are implicated in a wide range of processes including endothelial transcytosis, lipid homeostasis and cellular signalling, a detailed molecular picture of many aspects of their function has been elusive. Until recently, the only extensively characterised protein components of caveolae were the caveolins. Recently, data from several laboratories have demonstrated that a family of four related proteins, termed cavins 1-4, plays key roles in caveolar biogenesis and function. Salient properties of the cavin family include their propensity to form complexes with each other and their different but overlapping tissue distribution. This review summarises recent data on the cavins, and sets them in the context of open questions on the construction and function of caveolae. The discovery of cavins implies that caveolae might have unexpectedly diverse structural properties, in accord with the wide range of functions attributed to these 'little caves'.
小窝是在许多哺乳动物细胞类型的质膜中大量存在的壶腹状（瓶状）内陷。虽然小窝被认为参与了广泛的过程，包括内皮细胞易位、脂质稳态和细胞信号转导，但它们功能的许多方面的详细分子图景一直难以捉摸。直到最近，小窝中唯一经过广泛表征的蛋白成分是窖蛋白。最近，来自几个实验室的数据表明，一个称为 cavin 1-4 的四个相关蛋白家族在小窝的生物发生和功能中发挥关键作用。cavin 家族的显著特性包括它们彼此形成复合物的倾向，以及它们不同但重叠的组织分布。这篇综述总结了 cavin 的最新数据，并将其置于小窝的结构和功能的悬而未决的问题的背景下。cavin 的发现意味着小窝可能具有出乎意料的多样化的结构特性，与这些“小窝”归因的广泛功能一致。
