A New Selective Pharmacological Enhancer of the Orai1 Ca²⁺ Channel Reveals Roles for Orai1 in Smooth and Skeletal Muscle Functions

Store operated calcium (Ca2+) entry is an important homeostatic mechanism in cells, whereby the release of Ca2+ from intracellular endoplasmic reticulum stores triggers the activation of a Ca2+ influx pathway. Mediated by Orai1, this Ca2+ influx has specific and essential roles in biological processes as diverse as lactation to immunity. Although pharmacological inhibitors of this Ca2+ influx mechanism have helped to define the role of store...