Calcium Oscillations
- 1Unité de Chronobiologie Théorique, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Faculté des Sciences CP231, Boulevard du Triomphe, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
- 2Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale Unité U442, Université de Paris-Sud, Bât 443, 91405 Orsay, France
- 3National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences–NIH, Department of Health and Human Services, PO Box 12233, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709
- Correspondence: susanh{at}bcm.edu
Abstract
Calcium signaling results from a complex interplay between activation and inactivation of intracellular and extracellular calcium permeable channels. This complexity is obvious from the pattern of calcium signals observed with modest, physiological concentrations of calcium-mobilizing agonists, which typically present as sequential regenerative discharges of stored calcium, a process referred to as calcium oscillations. In this review, we discuss recent advances in understanding the underlying mechanism of calcium oscillations through the power of mathematical modeling. We also summarize recent findings on the role of calcium entry through store-operated channels in sustaining calcium oscillations and in the mechanism by which calcium oscillations couple to downstream effectors.
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