Inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptors in the endoplasmic reticulum: A single-channel point of view.

As an intracellular Ca 2+ release channel at the endoplasmic reticulum membrane, the ubiquitous inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (InsP 3 ) receptor (InsP 3 R) plays a crucial role in the generation, propagation and regulation of intracellular Ca 2+ signals that regulate numerous physiological and pathophysiological processes. This review provides a concise account of the fundamental single-channel properties of the InsP 3 R channel: its conductance properties and its regulation by InsP 3 and Ca 2+ , its physiological ligands, studied using nuclear patch clamp electrophysiology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]