Collins HE, Zhu-Mauldin X, Marchase RB, Chatham JC. STIM1/Orai1-mediated SOCE: current perspectives and potential roles in cardiac function and pathology. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 305: H446 -H458, 2013. First published June 21, 2013 doi:10.1152/ajpheart.00104.2013.-Store-operated Ca 2Ļ© entry (SOCE) is critical for Ca 2Ļ© signaling in nonexcitable cells; however, its role in the regulation of cardiomyocyte Ca 2Ļ© homeostasis has only recently been investigated. The increased understanding of the role of stromal interaction molecule 1 (STIM1) in regulating SOCE combined with recent studies demonstrating the presence of STIM1 in cardiomyocytes provides support that this pathway co-exists in the heart with the more widely recognized Ca 2Ļ© handling pathways associated with excitation-contraction coupling. There is now substantial evidence that STIM1-mediated SOCE plays a key role in mediating cardiomyocyte hypertrophy, both in vitro and in vivo, and there is growing support for the contribution of SOCE to Ca 2Ļ© overload associated with ischemia/reperfusion injury. Here, we provide an overview of our current understanding of the molecular regulation of SOCE and discuss the evidence supporting the role of STIM1/Orai1-mediated SOCE in regulating cardiomyocyte function.store-operated Ca 2Ļ© entry; stromal interaction molecule 1; orai1; cardiomyocytes STORE-OPERATED CA 2Ļ© ENTRY (SOCE), also known as capacitative calcium entry (CCE), is the major mechanism of Ca 2Ļ© entry in nearly all nonexcitable cells (97, 99). In addition, it is increasingly recognized to co-exist with voltage-gated Ca 2Ļ© channels in excitable cells, including neurons, skeletal muscle cells, and cardiomyocytes (1,38,45,83,121). In response to inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate (IP 3 )-(43) or ryanodine receptor (RyR)-mediated (3) Ca 2Ļ© release from ER/SR stores, SOCE facilitates the influx of Ca 2Ļ© from the extracellular space, resulting in a sustained increase in cytosolic Ca 2Ļ© levels. Thus, although one of the roles of SOCE is to rapidly refill the depleted ER/SR stores, the subsequent sustained increase in cytosolic Ca 2Ļ© also regulates numerous gene transcription pathways (33,50,151). Indeed, aberrant SOCE has been observed in a growing number of diseases including severe combined immunodeficiency, acute pancreatitis, and Alzheimer's disease (86).The integration of SOCE into well-established models of Ca 2Ļ© homeostasis was hampered for many years by the lack of specific molecular mediators; even as recently as 2004 there was considerable controversy as to the specific mechanisms regulating SOCE (90, 113). However, in 2005, stromal interaction molecule 1 (STIM1) was found to localize to the ER/SR membrane and shown to function as a primary mediator of SOCE (54, 102). The putative physiological and pathophysiological roles of SOCE and STIM1 that have been identified to date are summarized in Table 1. A number of studies have recently reported the presence of STIM1 in adult cardiomyocytes (37,59,153), and consistent with earlier evidence supporting a rol...