title: Store depletion and calcium influx.
abstract: Calcium influx in nonexcitable cells regulates such diverse processes as exocytosis, contraction, enzyme control, gene regulation, cell proliferation, and apoptosis. The dominant Ca2+ entry pathway in these cells is the store-operated one, in which Ca2+ entry is governed by the Ca2+ content of the agonist-sensitive intracellular Ca2+ stores. Only recently has a Ca2+ current been described that is activated by store depletion. The properties of this new current, called Ca2+ release-activated Ca2+ current (ICRAC), have been investigated in detail using the patch-clamp technique. Despite intense research, the nature of the signal that couples Ca2+ store content to the Ca2+ channels in the plasma membrane has remained elusive. Although ICRAC appears to be the most effective and widespread influx pathway, other store-operated currents have also been observed. Although the Ca2+ release-activated Ca2+ channel has not yet been cloned, evidence continues to accumulate that the Drosophila trp gene might encode a store-operated Ca2+ channel. In this review, we describe the historical development of the field of Ca2+ signaling and the discovery of store-operated Ca2+ currents. We focus on the electrophysiological properties of the prototype store-operated current ICRAC, discuss the regulatory mechanisms that control it, and finally consider recent advances toward the identification of molecular mechanisms involved in this ubiquitous and important Ca2+ entry pathway.
authors.affiliation: Department of Membrane Biophysics, Max-Planck-Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: A B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Parekh
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Penner
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers / Q000494:pharmacology; D015220:Calcium Channels / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D002451:Cell Compartmentation; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000502:physiology; D004594:Electrophysiology; D006801:Humans; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers; D015220:Calcium Channels; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins; D002118:Calcium