Calcium signaling: breast cancer's approach to manipulation of cellular circuitry

Stephen J P Pratt; Erick Hernández-Ochoa; Stuart S Martin

doi:10.1007/s12551-020-00771-9

Calcium signaling: breast cancer's approach to manipulation of cellular circuitry

Biophys Rev. 2020 Dec 18;12(6):1343-1359. doi: 10.1007/s12551-020-00771-9. eCollection 2020 Dec.

Authors

Stephen J P Pratt^{1

2

3}, Erick Hernández-Ochoa⁴, Stuart S Martin^{1

2

3}

Affiliations

¹ Program in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD USA.
² Department of Physiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD USA.
³ Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum NCI Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 655 W. Baltimore Street, Bressler Research Building, Rm 10-020 D, Baltimore, MD 21201 USA.
⁴ Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD USA.

Abstract

Calcium is a versatile element that participates in cell signaling for a wide range of cell processes such as death, cell cycle, division, migration, invasion, metabolism, differentiation, autophagy, transcription, and others. Specificity of calcium in each of these processes is achieved through modulation of intracellular calcium concentrations by changing the characteristics (amplitude/frequency modulation) or location (spatial modulation) of the signal. Breast cancer utilizes calcium signaling as an advantage for survival and progression. This review integrates evidence showing that increases in expression of calcium channels, GPCRs, pumps, effectors, and enzymes, as well as resulting intracellular calcium signals, lead to high calcium and/or an elevated calcium- mobilizing capacity necessary for malignant functions such as migratory, invasive, proliferative, tumorigenic, or metastatic capacities.

Keywords: Breast cancer; Calcium signaling.

Publication types

Review

Abstract

Publication types

Grants and funding