title: Regulation of gene expression by Ca2+ signals in neuronal cells.
abstract: Calcium ions are ubiquitous second messengers that control diverse cellular functions. The versatility of Ca(2+) arises both from the ability of cells to employ a range of mechanisms to generate stimulus-induced Ca(2+) signals with defined characteristics and the existence of a large repertoire of Ca(2+) receptive proteins that mediate the effects of Ca(2+). In neurons, the regulation of gene expression by electrical activity-induced increases in Ca(2+) is critical for the long-term maintenance of neuronal adaptive responses. Different patterns of synaptic activity are able to generate Ca(2+) signals varying in their amplitude, temporal profile, spatial properties and source or site of entry. The information embedded in Ca(2+) signals is decoded by Ca(2+)-responsive transcriptional regulators, including protein kinases, phosphatases and transcription factors, with differing Ca(2+) sensitivities, kinetics of activation and deactivation, and subcellular localisation. The coordinated control of many transcriptional regulators by Ca(2+) signals determines the qualitative and quantitative nature of the genomic response.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EG, UK. sc10008@cam.ac.uk
authors.forename: Sangeeta
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chawla
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000502:physiology*; D017362:Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein / Q000502:physiology; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006801:Humans; D050778:NFATC Transcription Factors; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism*; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D020218:Response Elements / Q000502:physiology; D015398:Signal Transduction; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D017362:Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D050778:NFATC Transcription Factors; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; D002118:Calcium