Trends in Immunology
ReviewCaveolae and caveolin in immune cells: distribution and functions
Section snippets
Caveolae and caveolin in immune cells
The presence of caveolae and/or caveolin in immune cells is a contentious issue on which there is no current consensus, although much research suggests that they are found commonly in myeloid, but not lymphoid, cells. However, more-recent evidence suggests that this is not the case; caveolae and/or caveolin are present in all types of immune cell and their expression and/or distribution might be dependent on the activation and/or maturation state of the cell.
Caveolae and/or caveolin have been
Interactions of caveolae with pathogens
Several pathogen-caveolae interactions have been described. In many cases, particularly for bacterial pathogens and their exotoxins, such interactions might have evolved to facilitate entry of the pathogen into host cells, avoiding routes that would lead normally to pathogen destruction.
Other functions of caveolae and caveolin
In addition to their role in endocytosis and pathogen uptake, caveolae and caveolin are involved also in other cellular functions, including the transport and regulation of cholesterol, and signal transduction. These effects are of potential importance for the normal functioning of immune cells.
Concluding remarks
The existence of caveolae has been known since the 1950s [1] but only now, is an understanding of their functions developing. The more well-established of these – endocytosis, cholesterol transport and/or regulation, and signal transduction – are all of potential importance for the normal functioning of immune cells, as well as the specific response to pathogens and their exotoxins. In many cases, by targeting caveolae as an endocytic pathway, pathogens are able to transport directly to the
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank D. Harris for help with image presentation, M. Mueller for help with electron microscopy and P. Monaghan for help and advice with confocal microscopy.
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