Caveolin-1 and Caveolin-3: Structural and Functional Insights into Their Role in Murine Airway Smooth Muscle Constriction

Serotonin and acetylcholine are bronchoconstrictors clinically relevant for airway diseases associated with airway hyperreactivity. Caveolins (cav-1, -2 and -3), which are binding partners for receptors and enzymes, are structural components of caveolae. The process of cav assembling into caveolae requires cytoplasmic adapter proteins (cavin-1 to -4). Here, we addressed the role of cav-1, cav-3, cavin-1 and -4 in airway smooth muscle (SM) constriction utilizing immunofluorescence, RT-PCR, electron microscopy, western blotting, co-immunoprecipitation and functional analysis (organ bath and videomicroscopy) in cav…