Identification, sequence, and expression of caveolin-2 defines a caveolin gene family.

Caveolin, a 21- to 24-kDa integral membrane protein, is a principal component of caveolae membranes. Caveolin interacts directly with heterotrimeric guanine nucleotide binding proteins (G proteins) and can functionally regulate their activity. Here, an approximately 20-kDa caveolin-related protein, caveolin-2, was identified through microsequencing of adipocyte-derived caveolin-enriched membranes; caveolin was retermed caveolin-1. Caveolins 1 and 2 are similar in most respects. mRNAs for both caveolin-1 and caveolin-2 are most abundantly expressed in white adipose tissue and are induced during adipocyte differentiation. Caveolin-2 colocalizes with caveolin-1, indicating that caveolin-2 also localizes to caveolae. However, caveolin-1 and caveolin-2 differ in their functional interactions with heterotrimeric G proteins, possibly explaining why caveolin-1 and -2 are coexpressed within a single cell.