Whitaker Michael, Smith Jim
Institute of Cell and Molecular Bioscience, Medical School, Newcastle University, Framlington Place, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4HH, UK.
Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2008 Apr 12;363(1495):1307-10. doi: 10.1098/rstb.2007.2248.
Calcium ions generate ubiquitous cellular signals. Calcium signals play an important role in development. The most obvious example is fertilization, where calcium signals and calcium waves are triggered by the sperm and are responsible for activating the egg from dormancy and cell cycle arrest. Calcium signals also appear to contribute to cell cycle progression during the rapid cell cycles of early embryos. There is increasing evidence that calcium signals are an essential component of the signalling systems that specify developmental patterning and cell fate. This issue arises from a Discussion Meeting that brought together developmental biologists studying calcium signals with those looking at other patterning signals and events. This short introduction provides some background to the papers in this issue, setting out the emerging view that calcium signals are central to dorsoventral axis formation, gastrulation movements, neural specification and neuronal cell fate.
钙离子产生普遍存在的细胞信号。钙信号在发育过程中发挥着重要作用。最明显的例子是受精过程，精子触发钙信号和钙波，它们负责激活处于休眠和细胞周期停滞状态的卵子。在早期胚胎的快速细胞周期中，钙信号似乎也有助于细胞周期的进展。越来越多的证据表明，钙信号是指定发育模式和细胞命运的信号系统的重要组成部分。这个问题源于一次研讨会，该研讨会将研究钙信号的发育生物学家与研究其他模式信号和事件的人员聚集在一起。本简短介绍为本期论文提供了一些背景信息，阐述了钙信号对于背腹轴形成、原肠胚形成运动、神经特化和神经元细胞命运至关重要这一新兴观点。
