THE BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE OF CALCIUM SIGNALING

Calcium is a second messenger responsible for regulating a wide range of cellular processes. It is normally presented as brief spikes even i n non-excitable cells. The necessity of limiting the period of calcium stimulation to brief bursts may depend upon the fact that prolonged e levation of calcium can be toxic. It can act on endonucleases in the n ucleus to trigger programmed cell death. It will be argued that non-le thal effects of elevated calcium can lead to a variety of pathological conditions including hypertension, atherosclerosis, transformation, m alignant hyperthermia and possible neural disorders such as spreading depression and manic-depressive illness.