Figure 8.

Schematics to illustrate descriptive models of astrocyte CalEx-induced effects that are reported in this study. A, Astrocyte Ca²⁺-dependent signaling. Extrusion of Ca²⁺ by CalEx in astrocytes alters intracellular Ca²⁺ handling. The major Ca²⁺ sources in astrocytes include SOCs and various calcium-permeable pumps located on the plasma membrane, IP₃ receptors, and SERCA pumps located on the ER. B, Astrocyte gene expression. CalEx expression in astrocytes triggers transcriptional changes that are independent of intracellular Ca²⁺ signaling through a currently unknown mechanism. C, Extracellular effects. CalEx expression in astrocytes exports sufficient amount of Ca²⁺ ions into the extracellular space to alter synaptic transmission and neural circuit activity. Some combination of all three models could operate in parallel.