The calcium signaling dilemma: to propagate or not

SILVINA PONCE DAWSON

Congreso; Dynamics Days LAC; 2018

Calcium signals are ubiquitous. They are involved in a large variety of physiological processes. The versatility of calcium ions as a signaling agent relies on the variety of spatio-temporal distributions that the intracellular calcium concentration can display. While some signals remain spatially localized others propagate throughout the cell and even between cells to convey their message. Cells have different strategies to change the properties of their intracellular signals depending on various factors. In this talk I will discuss the main biophysical processes that underlie intracellular calcium signals and how they can be varied to elicit different signal types. I will focus, in particular, on the changes that occur during the maturation that transforms an oocyte into an egg that can eventually be fertilized, a process that requires the correct propagation of an intracellular calcium wave to start the sequence of cell divisions that leads to the formation of the embryo.