ER-plasma membrane junctions in Ca2+ signal integration in dendrites
In neuronal dendrites of both rodents and flies, there are regularly spaced contact sites between the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and plasma membrane at ∼1 μm intervals. These hubs contain plasma membrane voltage-gated Ca2+ channels and ER Ca2+-release channels (ryanodine receptors).
The ladder-like patterning of the neuronal ER and its plasma membrane junctions resembles that of the sarcoplasmic reticulum-plasma membrane junctions in muscles.
The ER-PM junctions are hubs for ER-PM crosstalk, for regulating Ca2+ homeostasis and facilitate long-range transmission of signals along the length of the dendrite (20 μm away) via local activation of the Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II.
https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674%2824%2901345-X
