The role of caveolae in the pathophysiology of lung diseases

Abstract

Caveolae are flask-shaped plasma membrane invaginations formed by constitutive caveolin proteins and regulatory cavin proteins. Caveolae harbor a range of signaling components such as receptors, ion channels and regulatory molecules. There is now increasing evidence that caveolins and cavins play an important role in a variety of diseases. However, the mechanisms by which these caveolar proteins affect lung health and disease are still under investigation, with emerging data suggesting complex roles in disease pathophysiology. This review summarizes the current state of understanding of how caveolar proteins contribute to lung structure and function and how their altered expression and/or function can influence lung diseases.

Keywords::

• asthma
• caveolae
• caveolin
• cavin
• COPD
• lung
• lung injury
• pulmonary fibrosis
• pulmonary hypertension

Financial & competing interests disclosure

The work was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health (National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute) R01 HL090595, R01 HL088029 and R01 HL056470, as well as by a Clinical Innovator Award from the Flight Attendants Medical Research Institute. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Key issues

• Caveolae and their constituent caveolin and cavin proteins are expressed in a variety of cells in the lung.

• Caveolae and their constituent caveolin proteins play major, but complex, roles in lung physiology and pathophysiology of lung diseases.

• Both increased and decreased caveolin-1 can be involved in pulmonary disease processes.

• Caveolar proteins may be useful in the future as biomarkers for lung disease.

Notes