Unraveling STIM2 function

• Autores: Esther López Nieto, Ginés María Salido Ruiz, Juan A. Rosado, Alejandro Rafael Berna Erro
• Localización: Journal of physiology and biochemistry, ISSN-e 1877-8755, ISSN 1138-7548, Vol. 68, Nº. 4, 2012, págs. 619-633
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • The discovery of molecular players in capacitative calcium (Ca2+) entry, also referred to as store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE), supposed a great advance in the knowledge of cellular mechanisms of Ca2+ entry, which are essential for a broad range of cellular functions. The identification of STIM1 and STIM2 proteins as the sensors of Ca2+ stored in the endoplasmic reticulum unraveled the mechanism by which depletion of intracellular Ca2+ stores is communicated to store-operated Ca2+ channels located in the plasma membrane, triggering the activation of SOCE and intracellular Ca2+-dependent signaling cascades. Initial studies suggested a dominant function of STIM1 in SOCE and SOCE-dependent cellular functions compared to STIM2, especially those that participate in immune responses. Consequently, most of the subsequent studies focused on STIM1. However, during the last years, STIM2 has been demonstrated to play a more relevant and complex function than initially reported, being even important to sustain normal life in mice. These studies have led to reconsider the role of STIM2 in SOCE and its relevance in cellular physiology. This review is intended to summarize and provide an overview of the current data available about this exciting isoform, STIM2, and its actual position together with STIM1 in the mechanism of SOCE.