Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 23, 2026

Single-Cell Calcium Imaging for Studying the Activation of Calcium Ion Channels
Published on: December 13, 2024
Store-operated calcium channels: how do we measure them, and why do we care?
1National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Post Office Box 12233, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA. putney@niehs.nih.gov
Abstract:
A major mechanism whereby calcium entry into cells is regulated is the store-operated or capacitative calcium entry pathway. In this article, two basic issues are discussed: (i) the methods investigators use to measure store-operated entry, and (ii) the role played by the store-operated pathway in responses to hormones and neurotransmitters under physiological conditions. The two topics are considered together because they are closely interrelated; as we begin to ask questions about calcium movements at low concentrations of agonists, the technology to measure these movements becomes increasing challenging.
Related Concept Videos
Feedback Regulation of Calcium Concentration
Various transmembrane receptors, such as G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), elicit a response to extracellular signals by increasing cytosolic calcium. Activated GPCRs...
Voltage-gated Ion Channels
Generally, all voltage-gated ion channels have a 'voltage-sensing domain' that spans the lipid bilayer. The charged residues in the sensor move in response to the membrane potential changes that open the channel allowing ions movement. There are several types of...
Non-gated Ion Channels
Compared to the gated ion channels, the non-gated channels, also known as leakage or passive channels, have no gating mechanism.
Patch Clamp
In this method, a glass micropipette containing electrolyte solution is tightly sealed against a small portion of the cell membrane. As a result, a patch of the cell...
The Role of Ion Channels in Neuronal Computation
Sometimes a single EPSP is strong enough to induce an action potential in the postsynaptic neuron. However, multiple presynaptic inputs must often create EPSPs around the same time for the postsynaptic neuron to be sufficiently depolarized to fire an action potential.

