cAMP / Calcium Signaling

Intracellular signaling pathways are often regulated by the second messengers cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and calcium ion (Ca2+). cAMP is an important second messenger in cellular hormone responses. The activation of specific G protein coupled receptors stimulates adenyl cyclases to generate cAMP from ATP. In turn, cAMP activates cAMP-dependent protein kinases, inducing the phosphorylation of target proteins. Degradation of cAMP to AMP by cAMP phosphodiesterases attenuates signaling. The calcium ion is a second messenger normally stored in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Growth factors and hormones signal phospholipase C enzymes to hydrolyze the membrane phospholipid phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) to produce inositol 1,4,5- triphosphate (IP3). This small, polar molecule activates ER channels to release Ca2+ into the cytosol. Increases in the cytosolic Ca2+ concentration affect the activity of a number of target proteins, including kinases and phosphatases. A wide array of genes are regulated through cAMP or Ca2+ responsive elements, including neurotransmitters, growth factors, and transcription factors. In addition, molecules involved in cell cycle, DNA repair, metabolism, and immune regulation are also regulated through cAMP or the calcium ion.

QIAGEN provides a broad range of assay technologies for cAMP/calcium signaling research that enable nalysis of gene expression and regulation, epigenetic modification, genotyping, and signal transduction pathway activation. Solutions optimized for cAMP/calcium signaling studies include PCR array, miRNA, siRNA, mutation analysis, pathway reporter, chromatin IP, DNA methylation, and protein expression products.