Caveolin 1

The major coat protein of caveolae

General Information

Caveolae are distinct flask shaped invaginations which contain high concentrations of cholesterol and sphingolipids. These subcellular compartments can be found at the surface of many cell types.
Three isoforms (Calveolin 1, 2, 3) have been described so far. Caveolin 1 is the major coat protein of endothelial caveolae and a knock out of this protein leads to a complete loss of these cell surface structures in various cell types.
Caveolin 1 is also expressed in brain where it localizes to astrocytes, oligodendrocytes and endothelial cells but seems to be absent from neurons. Very recently a correlation of increased caveolin 1 expression in brain and Alzheimer's disease has been described.