Models of the inositol trisphosphate receptor

The inositol (1,4,5)-trisphosphate receptor (IPR) plays a crucial role in calcium dynamics in a wide range of cell types, and is often a central feature in quantitative models of calcium oscillations and waves. We review deterministic and stochastic mathematical models of the IPR, from the earliest ones of the 1970s and 1980s, to the most recent. The effects of IPR stochasticity on Ca2+ dynamics are briefly discussed.