Calcium and the Regulation of Cytoskeletal Assembly, Structure and Contractility

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Abstract
Calcium plays a central role in the regulation of cytoskeletal assembly, structure and contractility. In the case of actin there are a number of functional classes of actin-binding proteins which confer on a given actin filament its specific function in the cell. Among these various classes of actin-binding proteins are a subset of proteins whose activity is either regulated directly or indirectly (for example, through calmodulin) by Ca2+. This includes the regulation of (a) actin–myosin interaction, (b) actin assembly, (c) actin filament interaction and the formation of supramolecular cytoskeletal networks, and (d) the interaction of actin with membranes. Examples of these various modes of Ca2+-dependent regulation of cytoskeletal structure and contractility are discussed.