Review

Nature Reviews Cancer 8, 361-375 (May 2008) | doi:10.1038/nrc2374

Ca2+ signalling checkpoints in cancer: remodelling Ca2+ for cancer cell proliferation and survival

H. Llewelyn Roderick1,2 & Simon J. Cook2  About the authors

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Increases in cytosolic free Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) represent a ubiquitous signalling mechanism that controls a variety of cellular processes, including proliferation, metabolism and gene transcription, yet under certain conditions increases in intracellular Ca2+ are cytotoxic. Thus, in using Ca2+ as a messenger, cells walk a tightrope in which [Ca2+]i is strictly maintained within defined boundaries. To adhere to these boundaries and to sustain their modified phenotype, many cancer cells remodel the expression or activity of their Ca2+ signalling apparatus. Here, we review the role of Ca2+ in promoting cell proliferation and cell death, how these processes are remodelled in cancer and the opportunities this might provide for therapeutic intervention.

Author affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmacology, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1PD, UK.
  2. Laboratory of Molecular Signalling, Babraham Institute, Babraham Research Campus, Babraham, Cambridge CB22 3AT, UK.

Correspondence to: H. Llewelyn Roderick1,2 Email: llewelyn.roderick@bbsrc.ac.uk

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