Tetraspanins and cell membrane tubular structures.
Tetraspanins and cell membrane tubular structures.
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DOI：
10.1007/s00018-012-0954-0
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发表时间：
2012-09
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影响因子：
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中科院分区：
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Tetraspanins regulate a variety of cellular functions. But the general cellular mechanisms by which tetraspanins regulate these functions still remains poorly understood. In this article we collected the observations that tetraspanins regulate the formation and/or development of various tubular structures of cell membrane. Because tetraspanins and their associated proteins 1) are localized at the tubular structures such as microvilli, adhesion zipper, foot processes, and penetration peg and/or 2) regulate the morphogenesis of these membrane tubular structures, tetraspanins modulate various cellular functions likely through these membrane tubular structures. Some tetraspanins inhibit membrane tubule formation and/or extension while others promote them. We predict that tetraspanins regulate the formation and/or development of various membrane tubular structures: 1) microvilli or nanovilli at the plasma membranes free of cell and matrix contacts, 2) membrane tubules at the plasma membrane of cell-matrix and cell-cell interfaces, and 3) membrane tubules at the intracellular membrane compartments. These different membrane tubular structures likely share a common morphogenetic mechanism that involves tetraspanins. Tetraspanins regulate the morphogenesis of membrane tubular structures probably by altering 1) the biophysical properties of cell membrane such as curvature and/or 2) the membrane connections of cytoskeleton. Since membrane tubular structures are associated with cell functions such as adhesion, migration, and intercellular communication, all of which tetraspanins are involved in, the differential effects of tetraspanins on membrane tubular structures likely lead to the functional difference of tetraspanins.
