Capacitative Calcium Entry

Function

In electrically non-excitable cells (i.e., blood cells), Ca influx is essential for regulating a host of kinetically distinct processes involving exocytosis, enzyme control, gene regulation, cell growth and proliferation, and apoptosis. Capacitative calcium entry appears to also be a major means of signal transduction. The major Ca entry pathway in these cells is the store-operated one, in which the emptying of intracellular Ca stores activates Ca influx (store-operated Ca entry, or capacitative Ca entry). This is often referred to as the store-operated current or SOC.