Caveolin-1 (CAV1) belongs to the caveolin family of integral membrane proteins 21-24 kD in size. This family of proteins forms the structural component of the caveolar membrane in caveolae, which are the specialized domains in plasma membrane that sequester lipids and proteins. Both Caveolin 1 and Caveolin 2 are abundantly expressed in fibroblasts, differentiated adipocytes, smooth and skeletal muscle and, endothelial cells, whereas the related Caveolin 3 protein is limited to muscular tissue expression. Caveolin 1 interacts with a broad range of proteins including GLIPR2, Nostrin, SNAP25, syntaxin, rotavirus A NSP4, CD26, beta Catenin, CDH1, gamma Catenin, BMX, and BTK. It interacts directly with G-protein alpha subunits to regulate their activity. It appears to also be a co-stimulatory signal essential for T-cell receptor (TCR)-mediated activation of T-cells. In a global quantitative proteomic profiling study, Caveolin 1 antibody was used to identify over one hundred unique proteins dependent on CAV1 for stable incorporation into membrane rafts (1). Souto’s group used Caveolin 1 antibody to develop a rapid means of immunoisolating and purifying rat adipocyte caveolae, and then further characterizing their protein content and lipid flux levels (2).
Catalucci, et al. unexpectedly found that the insulin IGF1/PI3K/Akt signaling pathway actually regulates the L-type Ca channel protein (LTCC) to increase CAV1 protein levels in their studies with Caveolin 1 antibody (3). Furthermore, the pulmonary artery endothelial cell (PAEC) model was used along with the Caveolin 1 antibody to demonstrate that AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) restores angiogenesis and increases nitrous oxide (NO) availability in situations of in utero pulmonary hypertension (IPH) (4). A promising profile performed with the Caveolin 1 antibody in breast fibroblasts shows that these cells display functional heterogeneity that could be exploited for marker identification that would direct target ablation of tumor-promoting and inflammatory fibroblasts in human breast cancers (5).
Novus Biologicals offers an extensive selection of Caveolin 1 reagents for your research needs including: