Abstract
The sodium/calcium exchangers (NCX) use the extracellular sodium concentration to facilitate the extrusion of calcium out of the cell. Alongside the plasma membrane Ca2+-ATPase (PMCA) and sarcoplasmic/endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase (SERCA), as well as the sodium/potassium/calcium exchangers (NKCX, SLC24 family), NCX allow recovery of intracellular calcium back to basal levels after cellular stimulation. When intracellular sodium ion levels rise, for example, following depolarisation, these transporters can operate in the reverse direction to allow calcium influx and sodium efflux, as an electrogenic mechanism. Structural modelling suggests the presence of 9 TM segments, with a large intracellular loop between the fifth and sixth TM segments [1].
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