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Updated: Aug 18, 2026

Dissection of Local Ca2+ Signals in Cultured Cells by Membrane-targeted Ca2+ Indicators
Published on: March 22, 2019
Temporal integration of intracellular Ca2+ signaling networks in regulating gene expression by action potentials
R Douglas Fields1, Philip R Lee, Jonathan E Cohen
1Nervous System Development and Plasticity Section, National Institutes of Health, NICHD, Bldg. 35, Room 2A211, MSC 3713, 35 Lincoln Drive, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. fieldsd@mail.nih.gov
Abstract:
Temporal aspects of intracellular calcium signaling are particularly important in activity-dependent regulation of gene expression in neurons. This review traces calcium-dependent intracellular signaling from the membrane to the nucleus in response to action-potential firing, and considers how specific genes are regulated by specific patterns of impulse firing. Modes of calcium influx, calcium-dependent protein kinases, transcription factors, individual genes, and genomic analysis are examined, with particular emphasis on the importance of temporal aspects of calcium dynamics in regulating these processes.
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