Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 22, 2025

Single-Cell Calcium Imaging for Studying the Activation of Calcium Ion Channels
Published on: December 13, 2024
Orai channels: key players in Ca2+ homeostasis
Matthias Sallinger1, Sascha Berlansky1, Irene Frischauf1
1Life Science Center, Institute of Biophysics, Johannes Kepler University Linz, Austria.
Abstract:
Maintaining a precise calcium (Ca2+) balance is vital for cellular survival. The most prominent pathway to shuttle Ca2+ into cells is the Ca2+ release activated Ca2+ (CRAC) channel. Orai proteins are indispensable players in this central mechanism of Ca2+ entry. This short review traces the latest articles published in the field of CRAC channel signalling with a focus on the structure of the pore-forming Orai proteins, the propagation of the binding signal from STIM1 through the channel to the central pore and their role in human health and disease.
Related Concept Videos
Ion Channels
Ion channels are specialized integral membrane proteins on the plasma membrane that allow...
Feedback Regulation of Calcium Concentration
Various transmembrane receptors, such as G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), elicit a response to extracellular signals by increasing cytosolic calcium. Activated GPCRs...
The Role of Ion Channels in Neuronal Computation
Sometimes a single EPSP is strong enough to induce an action potential in the postsynaptic neuron. However, multiple presynaptic inputs must often create EPSPs around the same time for the postsynaptic neuron to be sufficiently depolarized to fire an action potential....
Roles of Electrolytes: Calcium and Phosphate
The calcium concentration in blood plasma is primarily...
Calmodulin-dependent Signaling
The Ca2+-CaM complex does not have enzymatic activity by itself. Instead, the complex binds downstream target proteins, including membrane proteins or enzymes,...
Ligand-Gated Ion Channel Receptor: Gating Mechanism

