How many SOCs are there?

1 June 2004

Randen L. Patterson

The experimental paradigm presented here is extremely rigorous for the identification of store-operated currents or Icrac. Additionally, pointing out how many other molecularly identified channels have been mistaken as SOC channels seems reasonable.

My question is how do we know that Icrac is even a calcium channel?

What is the experiemntal evidence that this is indeed a calcium channel, not a high-speed exchanger, or co- transporter?

Can this be determined from whole-cell currents?

Can the identity of a channel for Icrac be deduced from experiments where sodium was used as a current carrier not calcium?

As I am not an electrophysiologist, I do not know, but I am curious about this topic.