An overview of caveolins and their distributions in the endocrine system

Caveolins, the proteins which were found in "little caves" named caveolae more than 50 years ago, have been revealed to work to maintain the form and functions of many kinds of cells. Therefore malfunction of caveolins is related to diseases such as tumors, atherosclerosis, muscular dystrophy, pulmonary disfunction and other diseases. The introduction of caveolin-deficient mice brought new methods to approach the mechanisms of both normal cell function and the onset of these diseases. Although we examined caveolin distribution in human tissue, it has been difficult to establish a relationship between the caveolins and hormone secretion. However, as caveolin-1 has direct functional interactions with insulin receptors, Type II diabetes mellitus has become one subject for caveolin research. In terms of tumorigenesis, there are some reports of overexpression of caveolin-1 and -2 in tumors of the thyroid and parathyroid. Caveolins are proteins which have the potential for much further research, from many points of view.
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Review