Scaling up neuronal Ca2+, signaling on ER ladders

Abstract

Dendritic Ca²⁺ signaling is critical for neural transmission and signal processing, however the detailed molecular mechanisms have not been elucidated. Using elegant and complementary imaging approaches Benedetti et al. discover a distinctive ER ladder architecture in dendrites and show that precise localization of Ca²⁺ signaling proteins at endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-plasma membrane (PM) junctions supports integration of Ca²⁺ signaling along the dendrite.