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Related Concept Videos

Feedback Regulation of Calcium Concentration01:27

Feedback 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...
Diversity in Cell Signaling Responses01:22

Diversity in Cell Signaling Responses

The physiological function of a cell and cellular communication are outcomes of a range of extrinsic signals, intracellular signaling pathways, and cellular responses. No two cell types express the same repertoire of signaling components. Receptors are highly selective for their cognate ligands, but once activated, they can alter multiple cellular processes such as DNA transcription, protein synthesis, and metabolic activity. 
Graded and Abrupt Responses
Some signaling systems generate...
Calmodulin-dependent Signaling01:16

Calmodulin-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,...
Contact-dependent Signaling01:19

Contact-dependent Signaling

Contact-dependent signaling, as the name suggests, requires that communicating cells be in direct contact with each other. This is achieved either through receptor-ligand interactions or by specialized cytoplasmic channels that allow the flow of small molecules between cells. In animal cells, channels called gap junctions facilitate contact-dependent signaling in certain tissues, whereas, plasmodesmata perform a similar function in plants.
Gap Junctions
In animal cells, gap junctions are formed...
Cell Diversity01:13

Cell Diversity

The concept of a cell started with microscopic observations of dead cork tissue by Robert Hooke in 1665. Hooke coined the term "cell" based on the resemblance of the small subdivisions in the cork to the rooms that monks inhabited, called cells. About ten years later, Antonie van Leeuwenhoek became the first person to observe the living and moving cells under a microscope. In the century that followed, the theory that cells represented the basic unit of life developed.
Multicellular organisms...
What is Cell Signaling?02:03

What is Cell Signaling?

Despite the protective membrane that separates a cell from the environment, cells need the ability to detect and respond to environmental changes. Additionally, cells often need to communicate with one another. Unicellular and multicellular organisms use a variety of cell signaling mechanisms to communicate to respond to the environment.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 28, 2026

Mechanical Stimulation-induced Calcium Wave Propagation in Cell Monolayers: The Example of Bovine Corneal Endothelial Cells
10:46

Mechanical Stimulation-induced Calcium Wave Propagation in Cell Monolayers: The Example of Bovine Corneal Endothelial Cells

Published on: July 16, 2013

Cellular diversity promotes intercellular Ca2+ wave propagation.

Marko Gosak1

  • 1Department of Physics, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Maribor, Koroska cesta 160, SI-2000 Maribor, Slovenia. marko.gosak@uni-mb.si

Biophysical Chemistry
|November 8, 2008
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Cellular variability can surprisingly enhance the ordered propagation of calcium (Ca2+) waves between cells. This diversity-induced spatial coherence resonance offers new insights into intercellular communication.

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Dissection of Local Ca2+ Signals in Cultured Cells by Membrane-targeted Ca2+ Indicators
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Applications of Spatio-temporal Mapping and Particle Analysis Techniques to Quantify Intracellular Ca2+ Signaling In Situ
09:34

Applications of Spatio-temporal Mapping and Particle Analysis Techniques to Quantify Intracellular Ca2+ Signaling In Situ

Published on: January 7, 2019

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Last Updated: Jun 28, 2026

Mechanical Stimulation-induced Calcium Wave Propagation in Cell Monolayers: The Example of Bovine Corneal Endothelial Cells
10:46

Mechanical Stimulation-induced Calcium Wave Propagation in Cell Monolayers: The Example of Bovine Corneal Endothelial Cells

Published on: July 16, 2013

Dissection of Local Ca2+ Signals in Cultured Cells by Membrane-targeted Ca2+ Indicators
11:33

Dissection of Local Ca2+ Signals in Cultured Cells by Membrane-targeted Ca2+ Indicators

Published on: March 22, 2019

Applications of Spatio-temporal Mapping and Particle Analysis Techniques to Quantify Intracellular Ca2+ Signaling In Situ
09:34

Applications of Spatio-temporal Mapping and Particle Analysis Techniques to Quantify Intracellular Ca2+ Signaling In Situ

Published on: January 7, 2019

Area of Science:

  • Biophysics
  • Cell Biology
  • Theoretical Biology

Background:

  • Calcium ions (Ca2+) act as crucial second messengers in cellular signaling.
  • Intercellular communication relies on calcium signals, often observed as waves.
  • Understanding factors influencing calcium wave propagation is vital.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the impact of cellular variability on calcium (Ca2+) wave propagation in a network of coupled cells.
  • To explore how structural diversity in cell sensitivity affects wave dynamics.

Main Methods:

  • Simulated individual cell dynamics using a mathematical model for Ca2+ oscillations.
  • Introduced cellular diversity by varying bifurcation parameters, reflecting cell sensitivity.
  • Analyzed spatial wave profiles using autocorrelation functions.

Main Results:

  • Sufficient cellular variability induced the emergence of Ca2+ waves.
  • Intermediate variability strength resulted in more ordered wave patterns.
  • Autocorrelation analysis revealed a resonance-like response to cellular variability.

Conclusions:

  • Cellular variability can unexpectedly promote spatial coherence in Ca2+ wave propagation.
  • The study demonstrates diversity-induced spatial coherence resonance in a tissue-like medium.
  • Findings offer novel perspectives on how heterogeneity influences biological signaling networks.