Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 8, 2026

Long-range Channelrhodopsin-assisted Circuit Mapping of Inferior Colliculus Neurons with Blue and Red-shifted Channelrhodopsins
Published on: February 7, 2020
Exploring the unique features of the ARC channel, a store-independent Orai channel
Jill L Thompson1, Trevor J Shuttleworth1
1Department of Pharmacology and Physiology; University of Rochester Medical Center; Rochester, NY USA.
Abstract:
The discovery of the Orai proteins, and the identification of STIM1 as the molecule that regulates them, was based on their role in the agonist-activated store-operated entry of calcium via the CRAC channels. However, these same proteins are also essential components of the ARC channels responsible for a similar agonist-activated, but store-independent, arachidonic acid-regulated entry of calcium. The fact that these 2 biophysically similar calcium entry pathways frequently co-exist in the same cells suggests that they must each possess different features that allow them to function in distinct ways to regulate specific cellular activities. This review begins to address this question by describing recent findings characterizing the unique features of the ARC channels--their molecular composition, STIM1-dependent activation, and physiological activities--and the importance of defining such features for the accurate therapeutic targeting of these 2 Orai channel subtypes.
Related Concept Videos
Characteristics of OpAmp
Arc Length Function
Ion Channels
Ion channels are specialized integral membrane proteins on the plasma membrane that allow specific...
Uniform Depth Channel Flow
Receiver Operating Characteristic Plot
Design Example: Design of an Irrigation Channel

