title: Calcium oscillations.
abstract: Changes in cellular Ca2+ concentration control a wide range of physiological processes, from the subsecond release of synaptic neurotransmitters, to the regulation of gene expression over months or years. Ca2+ can also trigger cell death through both apoptosis and necrosis, and so the regulation of cellular Ca2+ concentration must be tightly controlled through the concerted action of pumps, channels and buffers that transport Ca2+ into and out of the cell cytoplasm. A hallmark of cellular Ca2+ signalling is its spatiotemporal complexity: stimulation of cells by a hormone or neurotransmitter leads to oscillations in cytoplasmic Ca2+ concentration that can vary markedly in time course, amplitude, frequency, and spatial range. In this chapter we review some of the biological roles of Ca2+, the experimental characterisation of complex dynamic changes in Ca2+ concentration, and attempts to explain this complexity using computational models. We consider the 'toolkit' of cellular proteins which influence Ca2+ concentrarion, describe mechanistic models of key elements of the toolkit, and fit these into the framework of whole cell models of Ca2+ oscillations and waves. Finally, we will touch on recent efforts to use stochastic modelling to elucidate elementary Ca2+ signal events, and how these may evolve into global signals.
authors.affiliation: School of Mathematical Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.
authors.forename: Ruediger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Thul
authors.forename: Tomas C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Bellamy
authors.forename: H Llewelyn
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Roderick
authors.forename: Martin D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Bootman
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Coombes
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001683:Biological Clocks; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D020013:Calcium Signaling; D002468:Cell Physiological Phenomena; D006801:Humans; D053496:Inositol 1,4,5-Trisphosphate Receptors / Q000378:metabolism; D007700:Kinetics; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000378:metabolism; D008954:Models, Biological; D019837:Ryanodine Receptor Calcium Release Channel / Q000378:metabolism; D013269:Stochastic Processes
chemical_list: D053496:Inositol 1,4,5-Trisphosphate Receptors; D019837:Ryanodine Receptor Calcium Release Channel; D002118:Calcium