Involvement of lipid rafts and caveolae in cardiac ion channel function

A variety of lipid microdomains, including caveolac, have been shown to play an important role in both protein targetting and in controlling protein-protein interactions. There is increasing evidence for significant ion channel localization in lipid rafts. Cardiac channel subunits known to localize in lipid rafts include Kv 1.4, Kv 1.5, Kv2.1, Kv4, Kir2, Kir3, K-ATp, Nav and Cav subunits. This article reviews what is known about the occurrence and functional significance of cardiac ion channel/lipid raft interactions. Much remains to be learned about this area of potentially enormous importance to cardiac function in health and disease. (c) 2005 European Society of Cardiology. Published by Elsevier B.V.