Ca (2+) oscillations, a widespread mode of cell signaling, were reported in non-excitable cells for the first time more than 25 years ago. Their fundamental mechanism, based on the periodic Ca (2+) exchange between the endoplasmic reticulum and the cytoplasm, has been well characterized. However, how the kinetics of cytosolic Ca (2+) changes are related to the extent of a physiological response remains poorly understood. Here, we review data suggesting that the downstream targets of Ca (2+) are controlled not only by the frequency of Ca (2+) oscillations but also by the detailed characteristics of the oscillations, such as their duration, shape, or baseline level. Involvement of non-endoplasmic reticulum Ca (2+) stores, mainly mitochondria and the extracellular medium, participates in this fine tuning of Ca (2+) oscillations. The main characteristics of the Ca (2+) exchange fluxes with these compartments are also reviewed.
Keywords: calcium oscillations; mitochondrial Ca2+ uniporter; mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake 1; store-operated calcium entry.