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Updated: May 10, 2026

Characterization of Cell Membrane Extensions and Studying Their Roles in Cancer Cell Adhesion Dynamics
Published on: March 26, 2018
Ca2+ signalling checkpoints in cancer: remodelling Ca2+ for cancer cell proliferation and survival
H Llewelyn Roderick1, Simon J Cook
1Department of Pharmacology, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1PD, UK. llewelyn.roderick@bbsrc.ac.uk
Abstract:
Increases in cytosolic free Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) represent a ubiquitous signalling mechanism that controls a variety of cellular processes, including proliferation, metabolism and gene transcription, yet under certain conditions increases in intracellular Ca2+ are cytotoxic. Thus, in using Ca2+ as a messenger, cells walk a tightrope in which [Ca2+]i is strictly maintained within defined boundaries. To adhere to these boundaries and to sustain their modified phenotype, many cancer cells remodel the expression or activity of their Ca2+ signalling apparatus. Here, we review the role of Ca2+ in promoting cell proliferation and cell death, how these processes are remodelled in cancer and the opportunities this might provide for therapeutic intervention.
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