Introduction

Abstract

It is now universally appreciated that cytoplasmic Ca²⁺ is a versatile messenger, capable of eliciting a wide range of cellular responses spread throughout the time domain (Clapham 2008). One of the more remarkable consequences of a Ca²⁺ rise is its ability to influence events in the nucleus, long after the Ca²⁺ signal has disappeared (Berridge et al. 2003). A pulse of Ca²⁺ for a few seconds is often enough to promote translocation of cytoplasmic Ca²⁺-dependent transcription factors like CREB or NFAT into the nucleus, resulting in gene expression. Ca²⁺-dependent gene expression plays a very important role in numerous distinct organ systems including learning and memory in the brain, cardiac remodeling and development and function of the immune system.