[4] They are also believed to play a role in mechanoprotection, mechanosensation, endocytosis, oncogenesis, and the uptake of pathogenic bacteria and certain viruses.
During their subsequent transport through the secretory pathway, caveolins associate with lipid rafts and form oligomers (14-16 molecules).
[9] Cavin proteins emerged in the late 2000s to be the main structural components controlling caveola formation.
Increased levels of cholesterol and insertion of the scaffolding domains of caveolins into the plasma membrane leads to the expansion of the caveolar invagination and the formation of endocytic vesicles.
[9][15] This type of endocytosis is used, for example, for transcytosis of albumin in endothelial cells or for internalization of the insulin receptor in primary adipocytes.