Spelunking for lipids in caveolae.

Phosphatidylserine (PtdSer) and phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PtdIns(4,5)P2) have been implicated in the maintenance of caveolae, but direct evidence that these lipids are required for normal caveolar structure and dynamics in living cells has been lacking. A new study by Fairn and colleagues uses sophisticated tools to perturb specific lipids in living cells to assess the consequences for caveolae. This study demonstrates disparate roles for these lipids in the stability and mobility of caveolae and points the way for future work to understand how these lipids contribute to the biology of caveolae.