Glial calcium signaling in physiology and pathophysiology.
Neuronal-glial circuits underlie integrative processes in the nervous system. Function of glial syncytium is, to a very large extent, regulated by the intracellular calcium signaling system. Glial calcium signals are triggered by activation of multiple receptors, expressed in glial membrane, which regulate both Ca2+ entry and Ca2+ release from the endoplasmic reticulum. The endoplasmic reticulum also endows glial cells with intracellular excitable media, which is able to produce and maintain long-ranging signaling in a form of propagating Ca2+ waves. In pathological conditions, calcium signals regulate glial response to injury, which might have both protective and detrimental effects on the nervous tissue.
Verkhratsky
Alexei
A
Faculty of Life Sciences, the University of Manchester, Manchester, UK. alex.verkhratsky@manchester.ac.uk
D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000503:physiopathology; D000818:Animals; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000503:physiopathology; D002118:Calcium / Q000502:physiology*; D020013:Calcium Signaling / Q000502:physiology*; D002450:Cell Communication; D013181:Cortical Spreading Depression / Q000502:physiology; D004721:Endoplasmic Reticulum / Q000502:physiology; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D009457:Neuroglia / Q000502:physiology*
D002118:Calcium