Store-operated calcium channels and pro-inflammatory signals.

In non-excitable cells such as T lymphocytes, hepatocytes, mast cells, endothelia and epithelia, the major pathway for calcium [Ca2+] entry is through store-operated Ca2+ channels in the plasma membrane. These channels are activated by the emptying of intracellular Ca2+ stores, however, neither the gating mechanism nor the downstream targets of these channels has been clear established. Here, I review some of the proposed gating mechanisms of store-operated Ca2+ channels and the functional implications in regulating pro-inflammatory signals.