Figure 3.

Dynamics of the formation of a tetraspanin microdomain. The tetraspanin protein binds to a receptor, which may be specific for each tetraspanin, on the plasma membrane. This heterodimer can be incorporated into a larger complex, where the tetraspanin proteins form the core. The participating tetraspanins are determined by their pattern and level of expression in a given cell type, as well as by the presence of their partners, which may also vary from cell to cell. These variations confer a great number of combinations that can be reflected in functional differences. The biological effects will depend on the situation of a specific tetraspanin at the time of stimulation. PI4K, phosphatidylinositol 4‐kinase; PKC, protein kinase C; R, receptor or membrane protein (some of which are listed in Table 1) that interacts with tetraspanins; TS, any of the 33 tetraspanin proteins. The red spots indicate palmitoylated molecules.