title: Early neural development in vertebrates is also a matter of calcium.
abstract: The calcium (Ca(2+)) signaling pathways have crucial roles in development from fertilization through differentiation to organogenesis. In the nervous system, Ca(2+) signals are important regulators for various neuronal functions, including formation and maturation of neuronal circuits and long-term memory. However, Ca(2+) signals are mainly involved in the earliest steps of nervous system development including neural induction, differentiation of neural progenitors into neurons, and the neuro-glial switch. This review examines when and how Ca(2+) signals are generated during each of these steps with examples taken from in vivo studies in vertebrate embryos and from in vitro assays using embryonic and neural stem cells. Also discussed is the highly specific nature of the Ca(2+) signaling pathway and its interaction with the other signaling pathways involved in early neural development.
authors: Centre de Biologie du Développement, UMR CNRS 5547 and GDR 2688, Université de Toulouse, 118 route de Narbonne, Toulouse, France. leclerc@cict.fr
authors: Catherine
authors: C
authors: Leclerc
authors: Isabelle
authors: I
authors: Néant
authors: Marc
authors: M
authors: Moreau
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D020013:Calcium Signaling; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D053595:Embryonic Stem Cells / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D054262:Gastrulation; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D006801:Humans; D009420:Nervous System / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology* / Q000378:metabolism; D058953:Neural Stem Cells / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D055495:Neurogenesis