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Recent structural and functional insights into the family of sodium calcium exchangers
Author(s) -
Sharma Vishal,
O'Halloran Damien M.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
genesis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.093
H-Index - 110
eISSN - 1526-968X
pISSN - 1526-954X
DOI - 10.1002/dvg.22735
Subject(s) - calcium , sodium calcium exchanger , calcium metabolism , cytosol , microbiology and biotechnology , caenorhabditis elegans , homeostasis , sodium , calcium pump , calcium signaling , chemistry , calcium in biology , plasma membrane ca2+ atpase , biochemistry , biology , biophysics , atpase , enzyme , organic chemistry , gene
Summary Maintenance of calcium homeostasis is necessary for the development and survival of all animals. Calcium ions modulate excitability and bind effectors capable of initiating many processes such as muscular contraction and neurotransmission. However, excessive amounts of calcium in the cytosol or within intracellular calcium stores can trigger apoptotic pathways in cells that have been implicated in cardiac and neuronal pathologies. Accordingly, it is critical for cells to rapidly and effectively regulate calcium levels. The Na + /Ca 2+ exchangers (NCX), Na + /Ca 2+ /K + exchangers (NCKX), and Ca 2+ /Cation exchangers (CCX) are the three classes of sodium calcium antiporters found in animals. These exchanger proteins utilize an electrochemical gradient to extrude calcium. Although they have been studied for decades, much is still unknown about these proteins. In this review, we examine current knowledge about the structure, function, and physiology and also discuss their implication in various developmental disorders. Finally, we highlight recent data characterizing the family of sodium calcium exchangers in the model system, Caenorhabditis elegans , and propose that C. elegans may be an ideal model to complement other systems and help fill gaps in our knowledge of sodium calcium exchange biology. genesis 52:93–109. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.