Calcium Dynamics as a Machine for Decoding Signals

Publication date: Available online 3 February 2018
Source:Trends in Cell Biology
Author(s): Carlotta Giorgi, Alberto Danese, Sonia Missiroli, Simone Patergnani, Paolo Pinton
Calcium (Ca²⁺) is considered one of the most-important biological cations, because it is implicated in cell physiopathology and cell fate through a finely tuned signaling system. In support of this notion, Ca²⁺ is the primary driver of cell proliferation and cell growth; however, it is also intimately linked to cell death. Functional abnormalities or mutations in proteins that mediate Ca²⁺ homeostasis usually lead to a plethora of diseases and pathogenic states, including cancer, heart failure, diabetes, and neurodegenerative disease. In this review, we examine recent discoveries in the highly localized nature of Ca²⁺-dependent signal transduction and its roles in cell fate, inflammasome activation, and synaptic transmission.



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