Abstract
Calcium is of pivotal importance for many biological processes. It may have a rather static, structure-stabilizing role, or it may participate as one of the second messengers of the cell in signal transduction pathways, fulfilling a more dynamic function. This is made possible by some specific properties of the Ca 2+ ion (e.g. high dehydration rate, great flexibility in coordinating ligands and largely irregular geometry of the coordination sphere). The control of calcium homeostasis is of central importance for the organism. It is a highly integrated process consisting of a number of hormonally controlled feedback loops and an elaborate system of channels, exchangers, pumps and numerous Ca 2+ -binding proteins to control Ca 2+ fluxes into and out of cells or within cells. This chapter describes the different roles of calcium in the regulation of biological functions and the proteins involved in these processes.
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