The plasma membrane calcium ATPase (PMCA) or Ca2+ pump transports Ca2 ions out of the cells, by using the energy stored in ATP. It is essen
tial in the control of Ca2+ concentration in the cytosol. The plasma m
embrane Ca2+ pump has been found in all mammalian cells and is encoded
by four independent genes. The number of possible isoforms is further
increased by alternative splicing at two independent sites; transcrip
ts for more than 20 isoforms have been detected. The PMCA isoforms, in
particular some of their alternatively spliced isoforms, have been sh
own to bind calmodulin with different affinity. The activity of these
alternatively spliced pumps is possibly differently regulated by kinas
e-mediated phosphorylation. A short summary of recent work on the prop
erties of the PMCA isoforms is presented here.