Inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptors (IP 3 Rs), by releasing Ca 2+ from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) of animal cells, allow Ca 2+ to be redistributed from the ER to the cytosol or other organelles, and they initiate store-operated Ca 2+ entry (SOCE). For all three IP 3 R subtypes, binding of IP 3 primes them to bind Ca 2+ , which then triggers channel opening. We are now close to understanding the structural basis of IP 3 R activation. Ca 2+ -induced Ca 2+ release regulated by IP 3 allows IP 3 Rs to regeneratively propagate Ca 2+ signals. The smallest of these regenerative events is a Ca 2+ puff, which arises from the nearly simultaneous opening of a small cluster of IP 3 Rs. Ca 2+ puffs are the basic building blocks for all IP 3 -evoked Ca 2+ signals, but only some IP 3 clusters, namely those parked alongside the ER-plasma membrane junctions where SOCE occurs, are licensed to respond. The location of these licensed IP 3 Rs may allow them to selectively regulate SOCE.