US EPA

1272625 

Journal Article 

Review 

Neuronal calcium signaling 

Berridge, MJ 

1998 

1 

Neuron
ISSN: 0896-6273
EISSN: 1097-4199 

Elsevier 

21 

1 

13-26 

English 

9697848 

10.1016/S0896-6273(00)80510-3 

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0896627300805103
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Calcium plays an important role in regulating a great variety of neuronal processes. Like other cells, neurons use both extracellular and intracellular sources of calcium. The mechanisms responsible for regulating the influx of external calcium are well established (Figure 1). For example, voltage-operated channels are used to trigger the release of neurotransmitter at synaptic junctions and they contribute to dendritic action potentials. In addition, neurotransmitters can induce an influx of calcium using receptor-operated channels such as the NMDA receptors located primarily at postsynaptic sites. While much is known about these influx pathways, there is less information on the mechanism and role of the intracellular supply of calcium stored within the endoplasmic reticulum of neurons. Inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptors (InsP3Rs) or ryanodine receptors (RYRs) distributed throughout the endoplasmic reticulum are responsible for releasing Ca2+ from this internal store (Figure 1). Since the endoplasmic reticulum is a continuous network distributed throughout the cell, it may be considered as a neuron-within-a-neuron, a concept that becomes all the more interesting because the endoplasmic reticulum, like the plasma membrane, has both integrative and regenerative properties that could play important roles in neural signaling. This review explores the idea that the endoplasmic reticulum and the plasma membrane form a binary membrane system that functions to regulate a variety of neuronal processes including excitability, associativity, neurotransmitter release, synaptic plasticity, and gene transcription.