Primary Active Ca2+ Transport Systems in Health and Disease.

Abstract

Calcium ions (Ca2+) are prominent cell signaling effectors that regulate a wide variety of cellular processes. Among the different players in Ca2+ homeostasis, primary active Ca2+ transporters are responsible for keeping low basal Ca2+ levels in the cytosol while establishing steep Ca2+ gradients across intracellular membranes or the plasma membrane. This review summarizes our current knowledge on the three types of primary active Ca2+-ATPases: the sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase (SERCA) pumps, the secretory pathway Ca2+- ATPase (SPCA) isoforms, and the plasma membrane Ca2+-ATPase (PMCA) Ca2+-transporters. We first discuss the Ca2+ transport mechanism of SERCA1a, which serves as a reference to describe the Ca2+ transport of other Ca2+ pumps. We further highlight the common and unique features of each isoform and review their structure-function relationship, expression pattern, regulatory mechanisms, and specific physiological roles. Finally, we discuss the increasing genetic and in vivo evidence that links the dysfunction of specific Ca2+-ATPase isoforms to a broad range of human pathologies, and highlight emerging therapeutic strategies that target Ca2+ pumps.