Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Membrane microdomains and caveolae.

T V Kurzchalia1, R G Parton

  • 1Max Planck Institute for Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany. kurzchal@mdc-berlin.de

Current Opinion in Cell Biology
|August 17, 1999
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

The Biology of Endosomal Escape: Strategies for Enhanced Delivery of Therapeutics.

ACS nano·2026
Same author

Targeted glycophagy ATG8 therapy reverses diabetic heart disease in mice and in human engineered cardiac tissues.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2025
Same author

Targeted glycophagy ATG8 therapy reverses diabetic heart disease in mice and in human engineered cardiac tissues.

Nature cardiovascular research·2025
Same author

An anaplerotic approach to correct the mitochondrial dysfunction in ataxia-telangiectasia (A-T).

Molecular metabolism·2021
Same author

A microtubule-organizing center directing intracellular transport in the early mouse embryo.

Science (New York, N.Y.)·2017
Same author

PTRF/cavin-1 neutralizes non-caveolar caveolin-1 microdomains in prostate cancer.

Oncogene·2013
Same journal

Mechanosensing in immune cells: Implications for migration and beyond.

Current opinion in cell biology·2026
Same journal

Emerging role of organelles in cell migration.

Current opinion in cell biology·2026
Same journal

Nuclear adaptation in cell migration.

Current opinion in cell biology·2026
Same journal

Patterns in motion: Choreographing dynamic cell behaviours during tissue repair.

Current opinion in cell biology·2026
Same journal

Quo vadis reconstituted cell surfaces? Purpose and future perspectives for minimal systems of the cell plasma membrane.

Current opinion in cell biology·2026
Same journal

Nuclear determinants of mRNA and protein isoforms.

Current opinion in cell biology·2026
See all related articles

Cell membrane microdomains, known as rafts, are crucial for cell functions. Recent evidence confirms their existence in living cells and highlights their role in signal transduction pathways.

Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Microdomains, or rafts, enriched in glycosphingolipids and cholesterol within eukaryotic cell plasma membranes are involved in cellular processes.
  • Their existence in living cells was recently confirmed, resolving prior controversy.
  • Caveolae, a specific raft type, and caveolins are implicated in regulating signal transduction.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To summarize recent compelling evidence for the existence of membrane microdomains (rafts) in living cells.
  • To highlight the proposed role of caveolae and caveolins in cholesterol-dependent regulation of signal transduction pathways.

Main Methods:

  • Review of recent scientific literature and compelling evidence.
  • Analysis of studies investigating membrane microdomains, caveolae, and caveolins.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Confirmed existence of membrane microdomains (rafts) in living cells.
  • Demonstrated involvement of caveolae and caveolins in dynamic, cholesterol-dependent regulation of signal transduction.

Conclusions:

  • Membrane microdomains (rafts) are validated components of living cell plasma membranes.
  • Caveolae and caveolins play a significant role in modulating cellular signaling pathways through cholesterol-dependent mechanisms.