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Updated: Jun 3, 2026

Modeling Neuronal Death and Degeneration in Mouse Primary Cerebellar Granule Neurons
Published on: November 6, 2017
Calcium and cell death mechanisms: a perspective from the cell death community
Boris Zhivotovsky1, Sten Orrenius
1Institute of Environmental Medicine, Division of Toxicology, Karolinska Institutet, Box 210, SE-171 77 Stockholm, Sweden. Boris.Zhivotovsky@ki.se
Abstract:
Research during the past several decades has provided convincing evidence for a crucial role of the Ca(2+) ion in cell signaling. Hence, intracellular Ca(2+) transients have been implicated in most aspects of cell physiology, including gene transcription, cell cycle regulation and cell proliferation. Further, the Ca(2+) ion has been found to also play an important role in cell death regulation. Thus, necrotic cell death was early associated with intracellular Ca(2+) overload, and multiple functions in the apoptotic process have subsequently been found to be governed by Ca(2+) signaling. More recently, other modes of cell death, notably anoikis and autophagic cell death, have been demonstrated to also be modulated by Ca(2+) transients. Characteristics, interrelationship and mechanisms involved in Ca(2+) regulation of these cell death modalities are discussed in this review.
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