Ca2+ handling and sensitivity in airway smooth muscle: Emerging concepts for mechanistic understanding and therapeutic targeting

Free calcium ions within the cytosol serve as a key secondary messenger system for a diverse range of cellular processes. Dysregulation of cytosolic Ca2+ handling in airway smooth muscle (ASM) has been implicated in asthma, and it has been hypothesised that this leads, at least in part, to associated changes in both the architecture and function of the lung. Significant research is therefore directed towards furthering our understanding of the mechanisms which control ASM cytosolic calcium, in addition to those regulating the sensitivity of its downstream effector targets to calcium. Key aspects of the recent developments in this field were discussed at the 8th Young Investigators' Symposium on Smooth Muscle (2013, Groningen, The Netherlands), and are outlined in this review.