Calcium signalling in lymphocytes

The modulation of intracellular calcium ion concentration, [Ca2+]i, is a common signalling mechanism used in many biological systems. B and T lymphocytes rely on Ca2+ signalling to initiate both developmental and activation programs. Recent data has shed new light on the initiation of this signalling pathway, the connection between the release of intracellular Ca2+ stores and the influx of extracellular Ca2+, and the molecular identity of the elusive Ca2+ release-activated Ca2+ (CRAC) channel. In addition, recent gene profiling of T lymphocytes has identified the genes that are controlled by [Ca2+]i and the Ca2+-dependent phosphatase calcineurin.