Functional consequences of activating store-operated CRAC channels

Store-operated CRAC channels, which are activated by the emptying of the endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ stores, are an important and widespread route for triggering rises in cytoplasmic Ca2+. The cellular responses that are activated in response to Ca2+ entry through CRAC channels are being dissected out, and recent evidence has established that CRAC channels can induce both short-term (safeguarding the Ca2+ content of the endoplasmic reticulum, maintenance of cytoplasmic Ca2+ oscillations, enzyme activation, secretion) and long-term (gene expression) changes in cells. CRAC channel activation is therefore capable of evoking a range of temporally distinct responses, highlighting the versatility of this ubiquitous Ca2+ entry pathway.