The basis of nuclear phospholipase C in cell proliferation

Ca²⁺ is a highly versatile intracellular signal that regulates many biological processes such as cell death and proliferation. Broad Ca²⁺-signaling machinery is used to assemble signaling systems with a precise spatial and temporal resolution to achieve this versatility. Ca²⁺-signaling components can be organized in different regions of the cell and local increases in Ca²⁺ within the nucleus can regulate different cellular functions from the increases in cytosolic Ca²⁺. However, the mechanisms and pathways that promote localized increases in Ca²⁺ levels in the nucleus are still under investigation. This review presents evidence that the nucleus has its own Ca²⁺ stores and signaling machinery, which modulate processes such as cell proliferation and tumor growth. We focus on what is known about the functions of nuclear Phospholipase C (PLC) in the generation of nuclear Ca²⁺ transients that are involved in cell proliferation.