Tetraspanins comprise a family of proteins embedded in the membrane through four transmembrane domains. One of the most distinctive features of tetraspanins is their ability to interact with other proteins in the membrane using their extracellular, transmembrane and cytoplasmic domains, allowing them to incorporate several proteins into clusters called tetraspanin-enriched microdomains. The spatial proximity of signaling proteins and their regulators enables a rapid functional cross-talk between these proteins, which is required for a rapid translation of extracellular signals into intracellular signaling cascades. In this article, we highlight a few examples that illustrate how tetraspanin-mediated interactions between cell surface proteins allow their functional cross-talk to regulate intracellular signaling.

中文翻译：

---

四跨膜蛋白：将细胞表面受体整合到稳态和疾病中的功能微域。

四跨膜蛋白由通过四个跨膜结构域嵌入膜的蛋白质家族组成。四跨膜蛋白最显着的特征之一是它们能够利用细胞外、跨膜和细胞质结构域与膜中的其他蛋白质相互作用，从而使它们能够将多种蛋白质整合到称为富含四跨膜蛋白的微结构域的簇中。信号蛋白及其调节因子的空间邻近性使得这些蛋白质之间能够快速进行功能串扰，这是细胞外信号快速转化为细胞内信号级联所必需的。在本文中，我们重点介绍了几个例子，说明四跨膜蛋白介导的细胞表面蛋白之间的相互作用如何允许它们的功能性串扰调节细胞内信号传导。