Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews 49 (2001) 237–250
www.elsevier.com/locate/drugdeliv
The role of caveolae and caveolin in vesicle-dependent and
vesicle-independent trafficking
*
Sergey Matveev, Xiangan Li, William Everson, Eric J. Smart
University of Kentucky Medical School
,
Department of Physiology
, 800
Rose Street
,
Lexington
,
KY
40536,
USA
Received 30 August 2000; accepted 3 April 2001
Abstract
Caveolae can mediate endocytosis, transcytosis, and potocytosis. Our understanding of these processes as well as the
elucidation of the molecular machinery involved has greatly expanded. In addition, caveolin, a 22 kDa protein often
associated with caveolae, can promote the trafficking of sterol through the cytoplasm independent of vesicles. Caveolin also
influences the formation, morphology, and function of caveolae. The ability of caveolae and caveolin to mediate
macromolecular transport directly impacts a variety of physiological and pathophysiological processes. 2001 Elsevier
Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords
:
Potocytosis; Cholera toxin; Endocytosis; Transcytosis; Cholesterol; Trafficking
Contents
1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................................ 238
2. Definition of caveolae.............................................................................................................................................................. 238
2.1. Morphology..................................................................................................................................................................... 238
2.2. Biochemical .................................................................................................................................................................... 239
2.3. Relationship between caveolae and lipid rafts..................................................................................................................... 241
3. Role of caveolae in endocytosis................................................................................................................................................ 241
3.1. Molecular machinery........................................................................................................................................................ 241
3.2. Cholera toxin................................................................................................................................................................... 242
4. Role of caveolae in transcytosis................................................................................................................................................ 242
5. Role of caveolae in potocytosis ................................................................................................................................................ 243
5.1. Cholesterol ester .............................................................................................................................................................. 244
5.2. Regulation of potocytosis ................................................................................................................................................. 244
6. Caveolin-mediated trafficking .................................................................................................................................................. 245
6.1. Cholesterol oxidase .......................................................................................................................................................... 246
6.2. Chaperone complex.......................................................................................................................................................... 246
7. Influence of lipoproteins on caveolae and caveolin function........................................................................................................ 247
8. Summary................................................................................................................................................................................ 247
Acknowledgements...................................................................................................................................................................... 248
References .................................................................................................................................................................................. 248
*
Corresponding author. Tel.: 1 1-859-323-6412; fax: 1 1-859-323-1070.
E-mail address
:
ejsmart@pop.uky.edu (E.J. Smart).
0169-409X/01/$ – see front matter 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
PII: S0169-409X(01)00138-7