Integrated model of active Ca2+ reabsorption in the intestine and distal part of the nephron. Apical entry of Ca2+ is facilitated by Transient Receptor Potential Cation Channel Subfamily V Members 5,6 (TRPV 5,6)/Epithelial calcium channel (EcaC); Ca2+ then binds to calbindin-D28K, and this complex diffuses through the cytosol to the basolateral membrane, where Ca2+ is extruded by a Na+/Ca2+ exchanger and a plasma membrane Ca2+-ATPase. The individually controlled steps in the activation process of the rate-limiting Ca2+ entry channel include 1α,25(OH)2D3-mediated transcriptional and translational activation, shuttling to the apical membrane, and subsequent activation of apically located channels by ambient Ca2+ concentration, direct phosphorylation, and/or accessory proteins. (Modified from Kumar and Vallon; Ref. 112.)