Calcium dynamics: spatio-temporal organization from the subcellular to the organ level.
Many essential physiological processes are controlled by calcium. To ensure reliability and specificity, calcium signals are highly organized in time and space in the form of oscillations and waves. Interesting findings have been obtained at various scales, ranging from the stochastic opening of a single calcium channel to the intercellular calcium wave spreading through an entire organ. A detailed understanding of calcium dynamics thus requires a link between observations at different scales. It appears that some regulations such as calcium-induced calcium release or PLC activation by calcium, as well as the weak diffusibility of calcium ions play a role at all levels of organization in most cell types. To comprehend how calcium waves spread from one cell to another, specific gap-junctional coupling and paracrine signaling must also be taken into account. On the basis of a pluridisciplinar approach ranging from physics to physiology, a unified description of calcium dynamics is emerging, which could help understanding how such a small ion can mediate so many vital functions in living systems.
Dupont
Geneviève
G
Theoretical Chronobiology Unit, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Faculté des Sciences, 1050 Brussels, Belgium.
Combettes
Laurent
L
Leybaert
Luc
L
D000818:Animals; D015220:Calcium Channels / Q000502:physiology*; D020013:Calcium Signaling / Q000502:physiology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003600:Cytosol / Q000502:physiology*; D004721:Endoplasmic Reticulum / Q000502:physiology; D017629:Gap Junctions / Q000502:physiology*; D006056:Golgi Apparatus; D006801:Humans; D053496:Inositol 1,4,5-Trisphosphate Receptors / Q000378:metabolism; D015640:Ion Channel Gating / Q000502:physiology*; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000502:physiology; D010738:Type C Phospholipases / Q000378:metabolism
D015220:Calcium Channels; D053496:Inositol 1,4,5-Trisphosphate Receptors; D010738:Type C Phospholipases