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The molecular choreography of a store-operated calcium channel

Nature volume 446, pages 284–287 (2007)Cite this article

Abstract

Store-operated calcium channels (SOCs) serve essential functions from secretion and motility to gene expression and cell growth. A fundamental mystery is how the depletion of Ca2+ from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) activates Ca2+ entry through SOCs in the plasma membrane. Recent studies using genetic approaches have identified genes encoding the ER Ca2+ sensor and a prototypic SOC, the Ca2+-release-activated Ca2+ (CRAC) channel. New findings reveal a unique mechanism for channel activation, in which the CRAC channel and its sensor migrate independently to closely apposed sites of interaction in the ER and the plasma membrane.

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Figure 1: STIM1 senses ER Ca 2+ to activate Orai1, a pore-forming subunit of the CRAC channel.
Figure 2: The functional units of store-operated Ca 2+ entry assemble in response to store depletion.

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Acknowledgements

The author thanks M. Wu and R. Luik for stimulating discussions throughout the course of this work. This work was supported by a grant from the NIGMS and the Mathers Charitable Foundation.

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  1. Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305, USA,

    Richard S. Lewis

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Correspondence to Richard S. Lewis.

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Lewis, R. The molecular choreography of a store-operated calcium channel. Nature 446, 284–287 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature05637

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