[Research on physiological and pathophysiological functions of calreticulin].

Calreticulin (CRT) is an essential Ca2+-binding /storage chaperone resident protein of endoplasmic reticulum or sarcoplasmic reticulum found across a diverse range of species. The protein is involved in the regulation of intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis and endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ storage capacity, and is also an important molecular chaperone involved in "quality control" within secretory pathways. Playing an important role in apoptosis, cell adhesion, gene expression and autoimmunity, calreticulin is involved in the genesis, development and prognosis of many diseases. Now we summarized the physiological function of CRT and its expression changes during myocardial hypertrophy, heart failure, angiogenesis, stresses and many other pathological conditions.