Structural basis for the assembly of caveolae

小凹是质膜的小内陷，是真核细胞的特征。它们的许多重要功能在20世纪50年代初从形态上进行了描述，但才刚刚开始揭示。小窝是一种多功能细胞器，在正常的细胞过程中起着至关重要的作用，如信号转导和膜动态平衡，并在癌症、脂肪储存和肌肉疾病中受到干扰。最近发现了一种名为Cavins的新的外壳蛋白家族。腔蛋白对于小窝的形成是必不可少的，本项目试图了解这些多蛋白复合体是如何在膜界面组装的，并在分子水平上控制小窝的功能。

Caveolae are small invaginations of the plasma membrane and are a characteristic feature of eukaryotic cells. Described morphologically in the early 1950s their many important functions are only just beginning to be revealed. Caveolae are multifunctional organelles that play a vital role in normal cellular processes such as signalling and membrane homeostasis, and are perturbed in cancer, lipid storage and muscle diseases. A new family of coat proteins called cavins have recently been discovered. Cavins are essential for the formation of caveolae, and this project seeks to understand how these multiprotein complexes are assembled at the membrane interface and control caveola function at the molecular level.