Structural basis for the assembly of caveolae

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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.