title: Intracellular organelles in the saga of Ca2+ homeostasis: different molecules for different purposes?
abstract: An increase in the concentration of cytosolic free Ca(2+) is a key component regulating different cellular processes ranging from egg fertilization, active secretion and movement, to cell differentiation and death. The multitude of phenomena modulated by Ca(2+), however, do not simply rely on increases/decreases in its concentration, but also on specific timing, shape and sub-cellular localization of its signals that, combined together, provide a huge versatility in Ca(2+) signaling. Intracellular organelles and their Ca(2+) handling machineries exert key roles in this complex and precise mechanism, and this review will try to depict a map of Ca(2+) routes inside cells, highlighting the uniqueness of the different Ca(2+) toolkit components and the complexity of the interactions between them.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, Italy.
authors.forename: Enrico
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Zampese
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pizzo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D020013:Calcium Signaling; D006706:Homeostasis; D006801:Humans; D042541:Intracellular Space / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D002118:Calcium