Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 10, 2026
09:07
Fluorescent Calcium Imaging and Subsequent In Situ Hybridization for Neuronal Precursor Characterization in Xenopus laevis
Published on: February 18, 2020
Calcium signaling in neuronal motility
1Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA. zhengjq@umdnj.edu
Annual Review of Cell and Developmental Biology
|October 20, 2007
Summary
Calcium ions (Ca2+) regulate neuronal motility, a key process for nervous system development, regeneration, and plasticity. These ions control cytoskeletal dynamics essential for cell migration, axon growth, and synapse remodeling.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Neuronal motility is crucial for nervous system development, regeneration, and plasticity.
- It encompasses large-scale events like cell migration and axon guidance, and finer-scale processes such as dendritic morphology refinement and synapse remodeling.
- Calcium ions (Ca2+) act as a critical second messenger in neuronal function.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the central role of Ca2+ in regulating neuronal motility.
- To highlight common Ca2+-dependent signaling pathways involved in diverse neuronal processes.
Main Methods:
- Review of recent studies on Ca2+ signaling and neuronal motility.
- Analysis of Ca2+-dependent regulation of cytoskeletal dynamics.
Main Results:
- Ca2+ plays a central role in regulating neuronal motility.
- Common Ca2+-dependent signaling pathways regulate cytoskeletal dynamics.
- These pathways are involved in neuronal migration, axon and dendrite development/regeneration, and synaptic plasticity.
Conclusions:
- Ca2+ is a key regulator of neuronal motility across various scales and functions.
- Understanding Ca2+-dependent pathways offers insights into nervous system development, repair, and function.
Related Concept Videos
01:16Calmodulin-dependent Signaling
Calmodulin (CaM) is a calcium-binding protein in eukaryotes that controls various calcium-regulated cellular processes. It has four calcium-binding sites that bind calcium to form the calcium-calmodulin ( Ca2+-CaM) complex. GPCR stimulation increases the calcium levels in the cells that bind to CaM and induces a conformational change.
The Ca2+-CaM complex does not have enzymatic activity by itself. Instead, the complex binds downstream target proteins, including membrane proteins or enzymes,...
The Ca2+-CaM complex does not have enzymatic activity by itself. Instead, the complex binds downstream target proteins, including membrane proteins or enzymes,...
01:27Feedback Regulation of Calcium Concentration
Calcium is an essential signaling molecule required for various cellular functions. Calcium pumps and ion channels on cell and organellar membranes, such as those on the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), regulate calcium concentrations inside the cell. They remain closed, keeping the cytosolic calcium levels low at a resting state.
Various transmembrane receptors, such as G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), elicit a response to extracellular signals by increasing cytosolic calcium. Activated GPCRs...
Various transmembrane receptors, such as G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), elicit a response to extracellular signals by increasing cytosolic calcium. Activated GPCRs...
01:13Actin Polymerization and Cell Motility
Actin is a family of globular proteins that are highly abundant in eukaryotic cells. It makes up approximately 1-5% of total cell protein concentration. Actin monomers polymerize to form a complex network of polarized filaments, the actin cytoskeleton, that plays a crucial role in many cellular processes, including cell motility, division, endocytosis, and metastasis of cancer cells.
Actin cytoskeleton dynamics can produce pushing, pulling, and resistance forces that help the cell to migrate.
Actin cytoskeleton dynamics can produce pushing, pulling, and resistance forces that help the cell to migrate.
01:16Cell Motility through Blebbing
Blebs are a type of membrane protrusion formed by the internal hydrostatic pressure of the cytoplasm. Blebs are observed in several cell types, including fibroblasts, immune cells, and single-celled organisms like the amoeba. The primary function of blebs is cell locomotion and apoptosis, but they are also found during necrosis and cell division. The life cycle of a bleb comprises an initiation phase followed by the expansion and retraction phases.
Blebbing Through the Matrix
In multicellular...
Blebbing Through the Matrix
In multicellular...
01:32Cytoskeletal Coordination in Cell Migration
A migrating cell changes its shape during the cyclic events of attachment and detachment from the substratum and repositions the cell organelles correspondingly. These complex events are orchestrated by the dynamic cytoskeletal network comprising actin filaments, intermediate filaments, and microtubules. Cytoskeletal crosstalk — the direct and indirect communication between the different components — is crucial for this coordination. Direct communication involves various linker proteins that...
01:29Relaxation of Skeletal Muscles
The period of muscle contraction primarily influences the duration of stimulation at the neuromuscular junction (NMJ), the presence of free calcium ions in the sarcoplasm, and the availability of energy or ATP to support contractions.
When an action potential reaches the axon terminal, it depolarizes the membrane and opens voltage-gated sodium channels. Sodium ions enter the cell, further depolarizing the presynaptic membrane. This depolarization causes voltage-gated calcium channels to open.
When an action potential reaches the axon terminal, it depolarizes the membrane and opens voltage-gated sodium channels. Sodium ions enter the cell, further depolarizing the presynaptic membrane. This depolarization causes voltage-gated calcium channels to open.