Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 7, 2025
08:41
Monitoring Endoplasmic Reticulum Calcium Homeostasis Using a Gaussia Luciferase SERCaMP
Published on: September 6, 2015
13.4K
Calcium Signaling Derangement and Disease Development and Progression
Vijay Sivaraman1, Rob U Onyenwoke2,3
1Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, College of Health and Sciences, North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC 27707, USA.
Biology
|April 30, 2021
Summary
Intracellular calcium (Ca2+) acts as a crucial second messenger, regulating vital cellular processes like division, motility, and gene transcription. Understanding its role is key to deciphering fundamental cell biology.
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Biochemistry
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Intracellular calcium (Ca2+) is a critical signaling ion involved in numerous cellular functions.
- Its role as a ubiquitous second messenger regulates processes including cell division, motility, autophagy, apoptosis, and gene transcription.
Discussion:
- The dynamic regulation of intracellular Ca2+ levels is essential for maintaining cellular homeostasis.
- Dysregulation of calcium signaling is implicated in various pathological conditions.
Key Insights:
- Ca2+ influx and efflux mechanisms are tightly controlled by various ion channels and pumps.
- Calcium-binding proteins act as sensors, translating Ca2+ signals into specific cellular responses.
Outlook:
- Further research into calcium signaling pathways can reveal novel therapeutic targets.
- Investigating the spatial and temporal dynamics of Ca2+ will enhance our understanding of cellular regulation.
Related Concept Videos
01:16Calmodulin-dependent Signaling
5.5K
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,...
The Ca2+-CaM complex does not have enzymatic activity by itself. Instead, the complex binds downstream target proteins, including membrane proteins or enzymes,...
5.5K
03:14Notch Signaling Pathway
4.7K
The Notch signaling pathway is a major intracellular signaling pathway that is highly conserved over a broad spectrum of metazoan species. It stands unique from other intracellular signaling mechanisms in animals because notch protein itself acts as the receptor as well as the primary signaling molecule.
The Notch gene came into the limelight in 1914 after the discovery that its mutation in Drosophila melanogaster leads to a serrated (or "notched") wing margin phenotype. It was not...
The Notch gene came into the limelight in 1914 after the discovery that its mutation in Drosophila melanogaster leads to a serrated (or "notched") wing margin phenotype. It was not...
4.7K
01:21Skeleton and Calcium Homeostasis
5.2K
Calcium is not only the most abundant mineral in bone but also the most abundant mineral in the human body. Calcium ions are needed for bone mineralization, tooth health, heart rate regulation and strength of contraction, blood coagulation, the contraction of smooth and skeletal muscle cells, and the regulation of nerve impulse conduction. The average calcium level in the blood is about 10 mg/dL. When the body cannot maintain this level, a person will experience hypo or hypercalcemia.
5.2K
01:27Feedback Regulation of Calcium Concentration
3.6K
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...
Various transmembrane receptors, such as G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), elicit a response to extracellular signals by increasing cytosolic calcium. Activated GPCRs...
3.6K
01:22Microtubules in Signaling
1.9K
The primary cilium, made up of microtubules, acts as antennae on the cell surfaces for relaying external stimuli into the cells. These fine hair-like structures are present, generally one per cell. These are non-motile cilia in a 9+0 microtubules arrangement, where the central pair of microtubules are absent. The primary cilia arise from the basal body embedded in the cell membrane. Intraflagellar transport (IFT) carries requisite proteins from the cytoplasm to the cilium because the primary...
1.9K
02:54Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathway
9.5K
The gene encoding the main signaling molecules of the Wnt signaling pathways (the Wnt proteins) was discovered almost four decades ago by Nüsslein-Volhard and Wieschaus. They identified and originally named the gene "wingless" (wg) after a phenotype discovered during their landmark genetic screen in Drosophila for body pattern defects. At around the same time, another researcher named Harold Varmus found that a murine tumor virus activates the mammalian wg homolog, Int-1, which...
9.5K