AND STILL THEY ARE MOVING ... DYNAMIC PROPERTIES OF CAVEOLAE

Caveolae are structures found on the surface of many mammalian cells. In the last few years the biogenesis and the function of these organel les have been intensively investigated but many challenging questions remain. One of these is whether caveolae are statically attached to th e cytoplasmic surface of the plasma membrane or are moving to other in tracellular organelles. Also the cycling of the caveolar coat componen t, VIP21-caveolin, is a subject of intensive discussion. The solution to these problems could give an insight into the understanding of cave olar function.