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The plasma membrane of many cell types, in particular, endothelia, smooth muscle cells, and adipocytes, contains numerous small invaginations termed caveolae. In nonmuscle cells, caveolae are formed by lipid-driven assembly of the integral membrane protein caveolin 1 (Cav1) and the peripherally attached protein cavin1. Accessory proteins such as Eps15 homology domain-containing 2 (EHD2) control the cell surface association of caveolae, together providing a unique invaginated membrane structure with distinct dynamics and protein and lipid compositions. These features enable caveolae to survey the plasma membrane integrity and to adjust membrane tension, and sort lipids according to the cellular requirements. Currently, characteristics of the protein and lipid interface of caveola are being unraveled, and this chapter is focused on the present knowledge of caveolae biogenesis and dynamics and describes methods that are being used to study the role of caveolae in lipid flux and lipid composition at the cell surface.

Caveolae are small plasma membrane invaginations, important for control of membrane tension, signaling cascades, and lipid sorting. The caveola coat protein Cavin1 is essential for shaping such high curvature membrane structures. Yet, a mechanistic understanding of how Cavin1 assembles at the membrane interface is lacking. Here, we used model membranes combined with biophysical dissection and computational modeling to show that Cavin1 inserts into membranes. We establish that initial phosphatidylinositol (4, 5) bisphosphate [PI(4,5)P2]-dependent membrane adsorption of the trimeric helical region 1 (HR1) of Cavin1 mediates the subsequent partial separation and membrane insertion of the individual helices. Insertion kinetics of HR1 is further enhanced by the presence of flanking negatively charged disordered regions, which was found important for the coassembly of Cavin1 with Caveolin1 in living cells. We propose that this intricate mechanism potentiates membrane curvature generation and facilitates dynamic rounds of assembly and disassembly of Cavin1 at the membrane.