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Fig. 5. Model of volume contributions from caveolin and cholesterol in caveolae. The model estimates the increase in volume of the hydrophobic core of the cytoplasmic leaflet (Vc) of the plasma membrane compared with the hydrophobic core of the outer leaflet (Vo) that would be required to cause the curvature characteristic of a caveola. The diagram shows the ellipsoid shape of a fast-frozen adipocyte caveola for which we obtained values of a=42 nm, b=33 nm, c=21 nm, h=29 nm. Vc and Vo were calculated by sequentially subtracting the volumes of a set of three concentric ellipsoids obtained by reducing the dimensions of a, b and c by t and 2t, where t is the thickness of the hydrophobic core of a single leaflet (t=1.5 nm). The volume of a solid ellipsoid of the configuration shown is given by V= /3 (2ab2+2hb2+hc2). We assume that only the scaffolding domain helix 2a contributes to expansion of Vc because the two membrane-spanning helices ( 2b and helix 3) contribute equal volumes to Vc and Vo. We further assume that there are 145 caveolin molecules per caveola (Ncav) and that the volume of 2a, V 2a=2.2 nm3. We propose that the additional volume required to expand the cytoplasmic leaflet (Vc-Vo) is contributed by the ability of the scaffolding domain to penetrate the hydrophobic core of the cytoplasmic leaflet and sequester cholesterol in an asymmetric fashion across the bilayer. Nchol is the number of cholesterol molecules sequestered by caveolin, and we assume that the volume of a cholesterol molecule is 0.612 nm3. In this model, the volume contributed by cholesterol, Vchol, would correspond to a molecular ratio of cholesterol to caveolin of 13:1.
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