Abstract
Cells rely on the coordinated action of diverse signaling molecules to sense, interpret, and respond to their highly dynamic external environment. To ensure the specific and robust flow of information, signaling molecules are often spatially organized to form distinct signaling compartments, and our understanding of the molecular mechanisms that guide intracellular signaling hinges on the ability to directly probe signaling events within these cellular microdomains. Ca2+ signaling in particular owes much of its functional versatility to this type of exquisite spatial regulation. As discussed below, a number of methods have been developed to investigate the mechanistic and functional implications of microdomains of Ca2+ signaling, ranging from the application of Ca2+ buffers to the direct and targeted visualization of Ca2+ signaling microdomains using genetically encoded fluorescent reporters.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 333-341 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Cell Calcium |
Volume | 58 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Oct 1 2015 |
Keywords
- Biosensors
- Calcineurin
- Calmodulin
- Compartmentalized signaling
- FRET
- Live-cell imaging
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Cell Biology
- Molecular Biology
- Physiology