Aberrant Ca2+ handling in lysosomal storage disorders

Lysosomal storage diseases (LSDs) are caused by inability of cells to process the material captured during endocytosis. While they are essentially diseases of cellular indigestion, LSDs affect large number of cellular activities and, as such, they teach us about the integrative function of the cell, as well as about the gaps ill our knowledge of the endocytic pathway and membrane transport. The present review summarizes recent findings on Ca2+ handling in LSDs and attempts to identify the key questions on alterations in Ca2+ signaling and membrane transport in this group of diseases, answers to which may lie in delineating the cellular pathogeneses of LSDs. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.