Calcium is an universal second messenger used by all plants and animals that regulates diverse processes essential to life. From fertilization to cell death, calcium plays a role in neurotransmission, muscle contraction, modulation of gene expression and control of ion channel activity. It is a key component for cell communication and has been pivotal in the emergence of multicellular life. Understanding how calcium regulates cell physiology provides insights into how normal biological processes occur. Dysregulation of calcium signaling is implicated in human diseases and is therefore directly relevant to human health. As our knowledge of calcium signaling deepens this will reveal new therapeutic targets for common pathologies such as cancer, cardiovascular disease and neurodegenerative disorders, the latter of which are becoming increasingly prevalent with the ageing global population.
The role of calcium in biology continues to expand and we are now seeing many examples of human disease that stem from dysregulated calcium signaling. Understanding how calcium works normally but also its disease associated effects will lead to the identification of new therapeutic targets in the future which could be of enormous benefit for human health. The goal of this topic is to bring together the latest research in calcium signaling and the role that calcium binding proteins play in transducing these both under normal and pathological states. New approaches for detecting calcium signals are key to expanding our ability to monitor calcium fluxes and the processes that they regulate. Linking structure to function is fundamental to improving our understanding of how calcium binding proteins operate and how naturally occurring mutations lead to human disease.
We welcome submissions related to but not limited to the following sub-topics:
• The molecular basis of elementary calcium signals:
o How cells utilize extra- and intra-cellular calcium
• Calcium binding proteins and the cellular processes they regulate:
o Structure – function studies to elucidate the role of disease associated mutations
• Detection of calcium signals in cells, tissues and whole animals
• Dysregulation of the calcium handling machinery and human disease:
o Cardiovascular disease
o Cancer
o Neurological disease
Calcium is an universal second messenger used by all plants and animals that regulates diverse processes essential to life. From fertilization to cell death, calcium plays a role in neurotransmission, muscle contraction, modulation of gene expression and control of ion channel activity. It is a key component for cell communication and has been pivotal in the emergence of multicellular life. Understanding how calcium regulates cell physiology provides insights into how normal biological processes occur. Dysregulation of calcium signaling is implicated in human diseases and is therefore directly relevant to human health. As our knowledge of calcium signaling deepens this will reveal new therapeutic targets for common pathologies such as cancer, cardiovascular disease and neurodegenerative disorders, the latter of which are becoming increasingly prevalent with the ageing global population.
The role of calcium in biology continues to expand and we are now seeing many examples of human disease that stem from dysregulated calcium signaling. Understanding how calcium works normally but also its disease associated effects will lead to the identification of new therapeutic targets in the future which could be of enormous benefit for human health. The goal of this topic is to bring together the latest research in calcium signaling and the role that calcium binding proteins play in transducing these both under normal and pathological states. New approaches for detecting calcium signals are key to expanding our ability to monitor calcium fluxes and the processes that they regulate. Linking structure to function is fundamental to improving our understanding of how calcium binding proteins operate and how naturally occurring mutations lead to human disease.
We welcome submissions related to but not limited to the following sub-topics:
• The molecular basis of elementary calcium signals:
o How cells utilize extra- and intra-cellular calcium
• Calcium binding proteins and the cellular processes they regulate:
o Structure – function studies to elucidate the role of disease associated mutations
• Detection of calcium signals in cells, tissues and whole animals
• Dysregulation of the calcium handling machinery and human disease:
o Cardiovascular disease
o Cancer
o Neurological disease
