An integrated mechanism of cardiomyocyte nuclear Ca2+ signaling

Abstract

© 2014 Elsevier Ltd. In cardiomyocytes, Ca2+ plays a central role in governing both contraction and signaling events that regulate gene expression. Current evidence indicates that discrimination between these two critical functions is achieved by segregating Ca2+ within subcellular microdomains: transcription is regulated by Ca2+ release within nuclear microdomains, and excitation-contraction coupling is regulated by cytosolic Ca2+. Accordingly, a variety of agonists that control cardiomyocyte gene expression, such as endothelin-1, angiotensin-II or insulin-like growth factor-1, share the feature of triggering nuclear Ca2+ signals. However, signaling pathways coupling surface receptor activation to nuclear Ca2+ release, and the phenotypic responses to such signals, differ between agonists. According to earlier hypotheses, the selective control of nuclear Ca2+ signals by activation of plasma membrane receptors relies on the strategic localization of inositol trisphosphate receptors at t