PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Putney, James W. TI - Store-Operated Calcium Channels: How Do We Measure Them, and Why Do We Care? AID - 10.1126/stke.2432004pe37 DP - 2004 Jul 27 TA - Science's STKE PG - pe37--pe37 VI - 2004 IP - 243 4099 - http://stke.sciencemag.org/content/2004/243/pe37.short 4100 - http://stke.sciencemag.org/content/2004/243/pe37.full SO - Sci. STKE2004 Jul 27; 2004 AB - A major mechanism whereby calcium entry into cells is regulated is the store-operated or capacitative calcium entry pathway. In this article, two basic issues are discussed: (i) the methods investigators use to measure store-operated entry, and (ii) the role played by the store-operated pathway in responses to hormones and neurotransmitters under physiological conditions. The two topics are considered together because they are closely interrelated; as we begin to ask questions about calcium movements at low concentrations of agonists, the technology to measure these movements becomes increasing challenging.