M-caveolin, a muscle-specific caveolin-related protein.

Caveolae, small invaginations of the plasma membrane, are a characteristic feature of many mammalian cells. The best-characterised caveolar protein is the integral membrane protein, VIP21-caveolin. We now describe a novel homologue of VIP21-caveolin, M-caveolin, which is expressed exclusively in muscle. M-caveolin was shown to be expressed in differentiated myotubes but not myoblasts. Epitope-tagged M-caveolin expressed in non-muscle cells was targetted to surface caveolae where it colocalized with endogenous VIP21-caveolin. M-caveolin may play a specialised role in the caveolae of muscle cells.