Calcium signaling

Calcium (Ca²⁺) is a crucial second messenger that regulates many cell functions, among which are cell fate specification, proliferation and differentiation both in normal and pathological situations. Ca²⁺ signals are characterized by variations in the concentration of the intracellular Ca²⁺, by the spatial source used to generate a Ca²⁺ signal and by the kinetics of the signals. All these parameters constitute a code that determines the downstream cellular response. Our project is to understand how Ca²⁺ controls the specification of neural progenitors in the developing cerebral neocortex. This project is based on the hypothesis that the spatio-temporal dynamics of the Ca²⁺ signals promotes specific transcriptional responses associated with specific cellular fate.

Publications prior to 2017 can be found at http://cbi-toulouse.fr/eng/publicationsleclerc

Funding