Caveolin-1, a putative tumour suppressor gene

Caveolae ('little caves') are plasma membrane specializations of 50-100 nm in diameter, and the caveolins are structural proteins used by cells to for m caveolae. We and other investigators have discovered that caveolae organe lles may be important both in normal signal transduction and in the pathoge nesis of a number of human diseases, such as cancer. Here we describe the f unctional roles of the caveolin gene family and summarize the evidence that supports a role for caveolae as mediators of a number of cellular signalli ng processes, including apoptosis.