Store-Operated Calcium Channel (SOC)

Store-operated calcium channels (SOCs) are a class of ion channels located in the plasma membrane of virtually all metazoan cells. They serve as a major pathway for calcium entry into the cytoplasm, especially after depletion of intracellular calcium stores, primarily from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). SOCs play essential roles in numerous cellular processes including gene expression, secretion, motility, metabolism, and immune responses. The core molecular machinery consists of STIM proteins (STIM1 and STIM2), which are ER-resident Ca²⁺ sensors, and Orai proteins (Orai1, Orai2, Orai3), which form the pore subunits of the channel in the plasma membrane. Dysfunction or mutations in SOCE components have been linked with immunodeficiency syndromes and other pathologies involving defective cellular signaling or homeostasis.

Other names

Store-operated channelCRAC channelSOCE channel