title: Oscillatory Ca2+ signaling and its cellular function.
abstract: It is well known that in the cells of many higher eukaryotic organisms Ca2+ ions are used as a signal messenger in the regulation of cellular functions. From recent studies with single cells it was suggested that the intracellular Ca2+ signal comprises repetitive and periodic Ca2+ spikes in a variety of cells. The mechanism by which intracellular Ca2+ oscillates and the biological significance of this oscillation are not well understood. It also remains to be determined how the Ca2+ signaling system sends a message into the cell, intermittently, to amplify the functional response. This review describes and integrates some recent views of oscillatory Ca2+ signaling.
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine, Hokkaido University School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tsunoda
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000502:physiology*; D002147:Calmodulin / Q000502:physiology; D005246:Feedback; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D007295:Inositol Phosphates / Q000502:physiology; D007424:Intracellular Fluid / Q000378:metabolism; D008954:Models, Biological; D009928:Organ Specificity; D010766:Phosphorylation; D011493:Protein Kinase C / Q000502:physiology; D011499:Protein Processing, Post-Translational; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D002147:Calmodulin; D007295:Inositol Phosphates; D011493:Protein Kinase C; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins; D002118:Calcium