SOC-channels

SOC is the acronym for Store-Operated Calcium Channels. Store-Operated Calcium Channels. SOCs are highly Ca2 +-selective cation channels found in the plasma membrane of all non-excitable cells (all cells except myocytes, neurons and endocrine cells). They are widely distributed in eukaryotic cells and are particularly important because they are essential for intracellular calcium homeostasis.

SOCs are involved in a variety of cellular functions ranging from gene expression to regulation of proliferation.

The SOCE is activated by the release of Ca2+ from its intracellular stores (mitochondria, Golgi apparatus, endoplasmic reticulum). This process is controlled by activation of the inositol triphosphate (IP3) receptor or by inhibition of the sarcoplasmic endoplasmic reticulum Ca-ATPase (SERCA). Although several TRPCs, including TRPC1, TRPC3, and TRPC4, have been implicated in SOC signaling, the importance of TRPC1 is the best studied.

The store-operated channels (SOCs) of T lymphocytes and mast cells were the first to be characterized using electrophysiological techniques. These channels, also known as calcium release-activated calcium (CRAC) channels, exhibit high Ca2+ selectivity and can be distinguished from other Ca2+-selective channels based on their low unitary conductance and low permeability to large monovalent cations.

In the nervous system, SOCCs are expressed in many brain regions and influence neurotransmitter release and synaptic plasticity.

SOC appears to play an important role in many Ca2+-dependent processes and has been implicated in diseases such as allergies, multiple sclerosis, tumor cancer, and inflammatory bowel disease.

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