Caveolae-associated protein 2

CAVIN2 (caveolae-associated protein 2) is a 425-amino-acid protein that plays a critical role in caveolar biogenesis and morphology (UniProt: O95810). It regulates caveolae architecture by inducing membrane curvature and shows tissue-specific effects on caveola formation, required in lung and fat endothelia but not cardiac endothelia. The protein may also facilitate PKCα targeting to caveolae.

CAVIN2 is expressed across multiple tissues and participates in subcellular membrane organization. No specific diseases are documented in the primary UniProt record, though the protein's role in membrane dynamics suggests potential relevance to conditions affecting endothelial and metabolic function.

In Alzheimer's Disease, CAVIN2 is significantly upregulated in post-mortem AD brain tissue compared to age-matched controls (Chaparral AD proteomics), with a mean log2 fold-change of +0.55 across subcellular fractions in TMT-labeled proteomics data. This elevation may reflect altered caveolar dynamics or compensatory lipid trafficking responses in the AD brain pathology.