caveola
noun
cav·e·o·la
ˌka-vē-ˈō-lə 
plural caveolae
ˌka-vē-ˈō-ˌlē
: a flask-shaped invagination of a cell's plasma membrane that is involved especially in endocytosis by pinching off and forming vesicles in the cytoplasm
caveolar
adjective
… clearly of benefit to pathogens, caveolae-dependent endocytosis does not feed into the lysosome pathway and does not result in the degradation of the contents of caveolar vesicles.
—
Jeoung-Sook Shin and Soman N. Abraham
Jeoung-Sook Shin and Soman N. Abraham
Dictionary Entries Near caveola
Cite this Entry
“Caveola.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/caveola. Accessed 25 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
caveola
noun
cav·e·o·la
ˌka-vē-ˈō-lə
plural caveolae
-ˌlē
: a flask-shaped invagination of the plasma membrane that is involved especially in endocytosis by pinching off and forming vesicles in the cytoplasm
These findings suggest that the virions entered the cell and were transported to the nucleus through caveolae.—Tina Petrogiannis-Haliotis et al., The New England Journal of Medicine
Tina Petrogiannis-Haliotis et al., The New England Journal of MedicineNote: Caveolae are coated by proteins called caveolins and contain larger amounts of cholesterol and glycosphingolipids than the surrounding plasma membrane.
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share