Calcium signalling in cells of oligodendroglial lineage

Intracellular Ca2+ is the key signal that regulates the efficacy of neurotr ansmitter release and synaptic plasticity in neurons but is also an importa nt second messenger involved in the signal transduction and modulation of g ene expression in both excitable and non-excitable cells. Glial cells, incl uding cells of oligodendroglial (OLG) lineage, are capable of responding to extracellular stimuli via changes in the intracellular Ca2+. This review a rticle focuses on the mechanisms of Ca2+ signalling in cells of OLG lineage with the goal of providing the basis for understanding the relevance of re ceptor- and non-receptor-mediated signalling to oligodendroglial developmen t, myelination, and demyelination. Conclusions to date indicate that cells of OLG lineage exhibit remarkable plasticity with regard to the expression of ion channels and receptors linked to Ca2+ signalling and that perturbati on of [Ca2+](i) homeostasis contributes to the pathogenesis of demyelinatin g diseases. (C) 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.