Calcium Sparks

Author:

Cheng Heping,Lederer W. J.

Abstract

The calcium ion (Ca2+) is the simplest and most versatile intracellular messenger known. The discovery of Ca2+sparks and a related family of elementary Ca2+signaling events has revealed fundamental principles of the Ca2+signaling system. A newly appreciated “digital” subsystem consisting of brief, high Ca2+concentration over short distances (nanometers to microns) comingles with an “analog” global Ca2+signaling subsystem. Over the past 15 years, much has been learned about the theoretical and practical aspects of spark formation and detection. The quest for the spark mechanisms [the activation, coordination, and termination of Ca2+release units (CRUs)] has met unexpected challenges, however, and raised vexing questions about CRU operation in situ. Ample evidence shows that Ca2+sparks catalyze many high-threshold Ca2+processes involved in cardiac and skeletal muscle excitation-contraction coupling, vascular tone regulation, membrane excitability, and neuronal secretion. Investigation of Ca2+sparks in diseases has also begun to provide novel insights into hypertension, cardiac arrhythmias, heart failure, and muscular dystrophy. An emerging view is that spatially and temporally patterned activation of the digital subsystem confers on intracellular Ca2+signaling an exquisite architecture in space, time, and intensity, which underpins signaling efficiency, stability, specificity, and diversity. These recent advances in “sparkology” thus promise to unify the simplicity and complexity of Ca2+signaling in biology.

Publisher

American Physiological Society

Subject

Physiology (medical),Molecular Biology,Physiology,General Medicine

Cited by 511 articles. 订阅此论文施引文献 订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献

同舟云学术

1.学者识别学者识别

2.学术分析学术分析

3.人才评估人才评估

"同舟云学术"是以全球学者为主线,采集、加工和组织学术论文而形成的新型学术文献查询和分析系统,可以对全球学者进行文献检索和人才价值评估。用户可以通过关注某些学科领域的顶尖人物而持续追踪该领域的学科进展和研究前沿。经过近期的数据扩容,当前同舟云学术共收录了国内外主流学术期刊6万余种,收集的期刊论文及会议论文总量共计约1.5亿篇,并以每天添加12000余篇中外论文的速度递增。我们也可以为用户提供个性化、定制化的学者数据。欢迎来电咨询!咨询电话:010-8811{复制后删除}0370

www.globalauthorid.com

TOP

Copyright © 2019-2024 北京同舟云网络信息技术有限公司
京公网安备11010802033243号  京ICP备18003416号-3