title: Calcium microdomains: organization and function.
abstract: Microdomains of Ca(2+), which are formed at sites where Ca(2+) enters the cytoplasm either at the cell surface or at the internal stores, are a key element of Ca(2+) signalling. The term microdomain includes the elementary events that are the basic building blocks of Ca(2+) signals. As Ca(2+) enters the cytoplasm, it produces a local plume of Ca(2+) that has been given different names (sparks, puffs, sparklets and syntillas). These elementary events can combine to produce larger microdomains. The significance of these localized domains of Ca(2+) is that they can regulate specific cellular processes in different regions of the cell. Such microdomains are particularly evident in neurons where both pre- and postsynaptic events are controlled by highly localized pulses of Ca(2+). The ability of single neurons to process enormous amounts of information depends upon such miniaturization of the Ca(2+) signalling system. Control of cardiac cell contraction and gene transcription provides another example of how the parallel processing of Ca(2+) signalling can occur through microdomains of intracellular Ca(2+).
authors.affiliation: Babraham Institute, Babraham, Cambridge, UK. michael.berridge@bbsrc.ac.uk
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Berridge
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D015220:Calcium Channels / Q000502:physiology; D020013:Calcium Signaling / Q000502:physiology*; D006332:Cardiomegaly / Q000503:physiopathology; D006321:Heart / Q000502:physiology; D006655:Histone Deacetylases / Q000378:metabolism; D053496:Inositol 1,4,5-Trisphosphate Receptors / Q000502:physiology; D021962:Membrane Microdomains / Q000502:physiology*; D008954:Models, Biological; D009200:Myocardial Contraction / Q000502:physiology; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D015220:Calcium Channels; D053496:Inositol 1,4,5-Trisphosphate Receptors; C498618:Hdac5 protein, mouse; D006655:Histone Deacetylases; D002118:Calcium