Store-Operated Calcium Channel and Cancer

The increase of intracellular Ca2+ concentration is an important mechanism that regulates a variety of physiological processes ranging from exocytosis to gene regulation and cell proliferation. Calcium release from intracellular stores (mainly endoplasmic reticulum, ER) or calcium entry through calcium channels can be used by cells to evoke a higher level of cytosolic Ca2+ concentration. In non-excitable cells, a major pathway for Ca2+ influx is via store-operated Ca2+ channels (also known as capacitative calcium entry).