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

As an intracellular Ca2+ 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 Ca2+ 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 Ca2+, its physiological ligands, studied using nuclear patch clamp electrophysiology. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.