DECODING CALCIUM SIGNALS IN LIVING CELLS

The regulation of calcium ion concentration outside and inside the cell, together with the movement of calcium ions from one compartment to another, are key factors that determine the fate of a cell: growth, stimulation and death. Calcium is the most ubiquitous second messenger encountered in a plethora of physiological functions from hormonal release and muscular contraction to gene expression. The level of increase in calcium concentration within a cell is finely modulated in terms of the quantity of ions, time and space, thus constituting a complex language that can only be interpreted by specific proteins.