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Caveolae are lipid-rich craters in the plasma membrane with roles in exocytosis, endocytosis and signal transduction. Caveolae are formed by caveolin oligomers stabilised by cytoplasmic cavin proteins. On internalisation, caveolae can fuse with early endosomes, and then be recycled back to the plasma membrane or targeted to multivesicular bodies for degradation.
Targeting of tumour vasculature endothelial P-selectin promotes caveolin-1-mediated transcytosis for enhanced blood–brain barrier crossing of therapeutic nanoparticles against medulloblastoma.
Caveolae can bend and flatten, but how this is regulated is not well understood. Authors use correlative super-resolution light and electron microscopy to map the key proteins that mediate curvature of the caveolar coat.
Caveolae are spherical nanodomains of the plasma membrane generated by assembly of caveolin and cavin proteins. Here, the authors show that fuzzy electrostatic interactions between caveolin-1 and Cavin1 proteins, combined with membrane lipid interactions, are required to generate membrane curvature and a metastable caveola coat.
The mechanistic details of fatty acid uptake into cells remains poorly understood. Here, the authors identify CD36 internalization via cavaeolae and demonstrate dynamic palmitoylationof CD36 is required for endocytic uptake of fatty acids.
Robert Parton and colleagues discuss novel evidence on the role of dynamin in caveolar endocytosis, which calls into question established models of dynamin-mediated fission.
