CAVEOLAE AND CAVEOLINS

In the past year, we have witnessed considerable progress towards an u nderstanding of the workings of caveolae. Highlights include the ident ification of new caveolin family members, the characterization of VIP2 1-caveolin as a cholesterol-binding oligomeric protein, and evidence f or functional interactions between caveolins and heterotrimeric G prot eins. In addition, novel systems for caveolae purification and for stu dying caveolae biogenesis are starting to reveal insights into the mol ecular basis of caveolae formation and function.