Calcium binding chaperones of the endoplasmic reticulum.

The endoplasmic reticulum is a major Ca(2+) store of the cell that impacts many cellular processes within the cell. The endoplasmic reticulum has roles in lipid and sterol synthesis, protein folding, post-translational modification and secretion and these functions are affected by intraluminal endoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+). In the endoplasmic reticulum there are several Ca(2+) buffering chaperones including calreticulin, Grp94, BiP and protein disulfide isomerase. Calreticulin is one of the major Ca(2+) binding/buffering chaperones in the endoplasmic reticulum. It has a critical role in Ca(2+) signalling in the endoplasmic reticulum lumen and this has significant impacts on many Ca(2+)-dependent pathways including control of transcription during embryonic development. In addition to Ca(2+) buffering, calreticulin plays important role in the correct folding and quality control of newly synthesized glycoproteins.