Calcium oscillations

Adv Exp Med Biol. 2008:641:1-27. doi: 10.1007/978-0-387-09794-7_1.

Abstract

Changes in cellular Ca2+ concentration control a wide range of physiological processes, from the subsecond release of synaptic neurotransmitters, to the regulation of gene expression over months or years. Ca2+ can also trigger cell death through both apoptosis and necrosis, and so the regulation of cellular Ca2+ concentration must be tightly controlled through the concerted action of pumps, channels and buffers that transport Ca2+ into and out of the cell cytoplasm. A hallmark of cellular Ca2+ signalling is its spatiotemporal complexity: stimulation of cells by a hormone or neurotransmitter leads to oscillations in cytoplasmic Ca2+ concentration that can vary markedly in time course, amplitude, frequency, and spatial range. In this chapter we review some of the biological roles of Ca2+, the experimental characterisation of complex dynamic changes in Ca2+ concentration, and attempts to explain this complexity using computational models. We consider the 'toolkit' of cellular proteins which influence Ca2+ concentrarion, describe mechanistic models of key elements of the toolkit, and fit these into the framework of whole cell models of Ca2+ oscillations and waves. Finally, we will touch on recent efforts to use stochastic modelling to elucidate elementary Ca2+ signal events, and how these may evolve into global signals.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Biological Clocks*
  • Calcium / metabolism*
  • Calcium Signaling
  • Cell Physiological Phenomena
  • Humans
  • Inositol 1,4,5-Trisphosphate Receptors / metabolism
  • Kinetics
  • Mitochondria / metabolism
  • Models, Biological
  • Ryanodine Receptor Calcium Release Channel / metabolism
  • Stochastic Processes

Substances

  • Inositol 1,4,5-Trisphosphate Receptors
  • Ryanodine Receptor Calcium Release Channel
  • Calcium