The role of calcium in the regulation of apoptosis.

The recognition that apoptosis is regulated by an evolutionarily conserved set of polypeptides from the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans to humans suggests that a conserved set of biochemical mechanisms may also he involved in the response. Work from a number of independent laboratories suggests that alterations in cytosolic Ca2+ homeostasis represent one such candidate mechanism, and molecular targets for Ca2+ are now being identified. This review will summarize what is known about the role of Ca2+ in the regulation of apoptosis and discuss how Ca2+ might interact with some of the other biochemical signals implicated in cell death.