title: Cytoplasmic calcium buffering.
abstract: Calcium buffering is one of the mechanisms to control calcium (Ca(2+)) persistence in the cytosol and hence, Ca(2+) dependence of many intracellular processes. Compared with Ca(2+) sequestration into intracellular Ca(2+) stores, Ca(2+) buffering is a rapid process occurring in sub-second scale.Ca(2+) buffers can be mobile or fixed depending of their molecular weight, but other parameters as their concentration, affinity for Ca(2+) or Ca(2+) binding and releasing kinetics are important to know their role in Ca(2+) signaling.This process determines Ca(2+) diffusion and spatiotemporal Ca(2+) signaling in the cell and is one of the basis of the versatility and complexity of Ca(2+) as intracellular messenger.
authors.affiliation: Department of Toxicology and Pharmacology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Complutense University of Madrid, Spain. jagilabe@vet.ucm.es
authors.forename: Juan A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Gilabert
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002021:Buffers; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D020013:Calcium Signaling; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D002021:Buffers; D002118:Calcium