title: The Role of Store-operated Calcium Channels in Pain.
abstract: Store-operated calcium channels (SOCCs) are calcium-selective cation channels. Recently, there has been explosive growth in establishing the molecular mechanisms that mediate store-operated Ca(2+) entry (SOCE) and the role of this process in normal cellular function and disease states. SOCCs and its components appear to play an important role in many Ca(2+)-dependent processes in nonexcitable cells and are implicated in several possible disorders including allergies, multiple sclerosis, cancer, and inflammatory bowel disease. Recent studies have shown that SOCCs are expressed in the central nervous system (CNS) and involved in neuronal functions and pathological conditions, including chronic pain. In this chapter, we discuss SOCE and its physiological and pathological roles in the CNS. More specifically, we discuss the expression and function of SOCCs and their downstream signaling mechanisms under chronic pain conditions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
authors.forename: Frances
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Munoz
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Electronic address: hhu@drexelmed.edu.
authors.forename: Huijuan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015220:Calcium Channels / Q000378:metabolism*; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism; D010146:Pain / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D015220:Calcium Channels
keywords: Cytokine; Dorsal root ganglia; Inflammation; Neuron; Pain; Spinal cord; Store-operated calcium channels; YM-58483