title: Ca(2+) signaling, genes and the cell cycle.
abstract: Changes in the concentration and spatial distribution of Ca(2+) ions in the cytoplasm constitute a ubiquitous intracellular signaling module in cellular physiology. With the advent of Ca(2+) dyes that allow direct visualization of Ca(2+) transients, combined with powerful experimental tools such as electrophysiological recordings, intracellular Ca(2+) transients have been implicated in practically every aspect of cellular physiology, including cellular proliferation. Ca(2+) signals are associated with different phases of the cell cycle and interfering with Ca(2+) signaling or downstream pathways often disrupts progression of the cell cycle. Although there exists a dependence between Ca(2+) signals and the cell cycle the mechanisms involved are not well defined and given the cross-talk between Ca(2+) and other signaling modules, it is difficult to assess the exact role of Ca(2+) signals in cell cycle progression. Two exceptions however, include fertilization and T-cell activation, where well-defined roles for Ca(2+) signals in mediating progression through specific stages of the cell cycle have been clearly established. In the case of T-cell activation Ca(2+) regulates entry into the cell cycle through the induction of gene transcription.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar (WCMC-Q), PO Box 24144, Education City - Qatar Foundation, Doha, Qatar. Khm2002@qatar-med.cornell.edu
authors.forename: Khaled
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Machaca
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001001:Anura; D020013:Calcium Signaling / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology*; D002453:Cell Cycle / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005306:Fertilization / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008540:Meiosis / Q000235:genetics; D009865:Oocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology