Microdomain-forming proteins of different families in common signal pathways

Lipid rafts are the lateral assemblies of cholesterol, sphingomyelin, glycosphingolipids, and specific proteins within the cell plasma membrane. These microdomains are involved in a number of important cellular processes including membrane rearrangement, protein internalization, signal transduction, and the entry of viruses into a cell. Some of the lipid rafts are stabilized by special microdomain-forming proteins such as caveolins, SPFH domain-containing superfamily, tetraspanins, galectins, which maintain the integrity of rafts and regulate many resident proteins, thereby participating in nearly all life processes of cells. However, such classes of microdomain-forming proteins are still considered separately from each other. In this review we have tried to perform a complex analysis of microdomain-forming proteins in cell regulation by the example of EGFR receptors, integrins, and matrix metalloproteinases.