Effects of CRAC Channel on Spatiotemporal Ca2＋ Patterns in T Cells

A reaction-diffusion model is built to investigate the temporal and spatial patterns of cytoplasmic Ca2＋ dynamics under the effects of Ca2＋-release activated Ca2＋ （CRAC） channels in T cells. Simulation results show a strong dependence of the modulation mode of Ca2＋ oscillation and dynamic patterns of Ca2＋ wave on the influx rate through the CRAC channel （ksoc）. When ksoc is small, cytoplasmic Ca2＋ is modulated as a frequency-modulation （FM） signal, whereas it shows an amplitude modulation （AM） mode after ksoc passes through a critical value. The heterogeneity in spatial Ca2＋ distribution is mostly arising from the influx through CRAC channels in both FM and AM modes. During each Ca2＋ spike, a more sustained cytoplasmic Ca2＋ gradient is maintained in the AM mode rather than in the FM mode.