Research

(In collaboration with Prof. Hong Tang, IBP)

1. 3D structural investigation of caveolae from porcine aorta endothelial cell by electron tomography.

A preliminary 3D structural analysis of caveolae from porcine aorta endothelial (PAE) cell has been done by electron tomography. Caveolae of PAE cell were distributed irregularly around the cell surface and aggregated locally to form cluster. The striated structure with a width of 14～16 nm around the caveolae can be seen at the inner or external side of the membrane, and more concentrated striations were found at the narrowneck. A three-dimensional structural model based on tomographic reconstruction shows that caveolae interact with potent microtubule network, suggesting a possible caveolae traffic path in the cell during endocytosis.

Reference:

Sun S.，Zhang K., Xu W.，Wang G.，Chen J. andSun F*. (2009) 3D Structural Investigation of Caveolae From Porcine Aorta Endothelial Cell by Electron Tomography, Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysis, 36(6), 729-35.