The Role of Calcium and Mitochondria in the Etiology and Treatment of Three Different Disease Paradigms

by Brink, Christine

Calcium signals are integral steps in pathways for a large variety of important cellular functions ranging from cell growth and proliferation to apoptotic cell death. The mechanism and subcellular location of calcium entry or rise in cytosolic calcium is also important in determining what type of message the calcium is activating. Additionally, the control of calcium levels and signaling pathways is being investigated in treatments several types of diseases. Another area of investigation in importance in studying calcium signaling is mitochondria. Mitochondria are vital organelles with essential roles including the production of ATP, regulation of calcium signals and are the main intracellular initiator of apoptosis. Monitoring mitochondrial calcium and membrane potential can provide clues in overall cell health and mechanism of cytosolic calcium entry. In this project I have used both imaging techniques and high through put assays to monitor calcium and mitochondrial membrane potential in two models of disease states and to investigate the mechanism of a possible treatment.