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Updated: Aug 16, 2026

Single-molecule Super-resolution Imaging of Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate in the Plasma Membrane with Novel Fluorescent Probes
Published on: October 15, 2016
Phosphoinositide lipid second messengers: new paradigms for calcium channel modulation
Patrick Delmas1, Bertrand Coste, Nikita Gamper
1Laboratoire de Neurophysiologie Cellulaire, CNRS, UMR 6150, Faculté de Médecine, IFR Jean Roche, Bd. Pierre Dramard, 13916 Marseille Cedex 20, France. delmas.p@jean-roche.univ-mrs.fr
Abstract:
Neuronal Ca2+ channels are key transducers coupling excitability to cellular function. As such, they are tightly regulated by multiple G protein-signaling pathways that finely tune their activity. In addition to fast, direct G(beta)gamma modulation of Ca2+ channels, a slower Galpha(q/11)-mediated mechanism has remained enigmatic despite intensive study. Recent work suggests that membrane phosphoinositides are crucial determinants of Ca2+ channel activity. Here, we discuss their role in Ca2+ channel modulation and the leading theories that seek to elucidate the underlying molecular details of the so-called "mysterious" G(q/11)-mediated signal.
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