Calcium buffering

Calcium buffering is a form of intracellular communication based on the regulation of calcium concentrations. Communication takes place between the cellular membrane, which is receiving information about the outside environment, and the functional proteins and nucleus of the internal cell. Calcium in the extracellular matrix is permitted to pass through the membrane in accordance with the information about the cell's external environment that is to be transmitted. The influx of charged calcium into the cell causes spontaneous internal changes. For example, the ion's charge can interfere with the tertiary bonding of proteins in order to coordinate a desired reaction or may change the cell's nucleus directly.