Calcium signaling plays a fundamental role in cardiac development and function, orchestrating a wide array of cellular processes that are essential for heart formation, maturation, and physiological performance. During embryogenesis, calcium ions act as key secondary messengers, guiding cardiomyocyte differentiation, proliferation, and morphogenesis of cardiac structures. Tight regulation of intracellular calcium levels is crucial for the structural organization of cardiac tissue and the maturation of contractile function.

Dysregulation of calcium homeostasis during development can result in congenital heart defects and impair the establishment of proper excitation-contraction coupling. In postnatal and adult hearts, calcium signaling continues to regulate cardiomyocyte contractility, gene expression, and cellular adaptation to stress. Aberrant calcium signaling has been implicated in a range of cardiac disorders, including arrhythmias, hypertrophic and dilated cardiomyopathy, and heart failure.

Emerging research is uncovering how variants in calcium handling proteins, such as the ryanodine receptor, and L-type calcium channels, contribute to disrupted developmental programs and pathological remodeling. Additionally, calcium signaling interfaces with developmental pathways like Wnt, Notch, and TGF-β, indicating a complex regulatory network that links early cardiac development with later disease susceptibility. Understanding these connections at the cellular and molecular level offers promising avenues for early diagnosis and therapeutic intervention.

This Research Topic aims to gather cutting-edge studies that dissect the role of calcium signaling in cardiac development, function and disease, using both in vivo and in vitro models, advanced imaging, and genetic approaches to reveal novel insights into cardiovascular cell biology.

• Investigating calcium signaling during cardiac development, including its role in cardiomyocyte specification, proliferation, and differentiation.
• Exploring the function of calcium channels and pumps (e.g., L-type Ca²⁺ channels, SERCA) during embryonic heart morphogenesis.
• Role of calcium-dependent transcription factors (e.g., NFAT, MEF2) in regulating gene expression during cardiac tissue development and remodeling.
• Impact of calcium signaling on cardiac progenitor cells and their lineage commitment in both embryonic and adult contexts.
• Developmental origins of calcium handling abnormalities in congenital heart defects and their molecular underpinnings.
• Calcium signaling in cardiac repair, including its influence on stem cell integration, tissue regeneration, and functional-recovery post-injury.
• Mechanistic insights into the role of calcium handling proteins in regulating cardiac function.
• Calcium signaling in modulation of cardiac mechanotransduction.
• Delineating pathophysiological mechanisms of human variants in genes associated with calcium handling.
• Advancements in in vitro and/or in vivo models for calcium signaling studies.
• Approaches towards development of novel, targeted therapeutic strategies preventing aberrant calcium signaling.

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Elucidating the Role of Calcium Signaling in Cardiac Disorders