Calcium pump Calcium pump Calcium pumps are a family of ion transporters found in the cell membrane of all animal cells. They are responsible for the active transport of calcium out of the cell for the maintenance of the steep Ca electrochemical gradient across the cell membrane. Calcium pumps play a crucial role in proper cell signalling by keeping the intracellular calcium concentration roughly 10,000 times lower than the extracellular concentration. Failure to do so is one cause of muscle cramps. The plasma membrane Ca ATPase and the sodium-calcium exchanger are together the main regulators of intracellular Ca concentrations. Ca has many
Symbol Hence, "outward sign" of something. The meaning "something which stands for something else" was first recorded in 1590, in Edmund Spenser's "Faerie Queene". In considering the effect of a symbol on the psyche, in his seminal essay "The Symbol without Meaning" Joseph Campbell proposes the following definition: "A symbol is an energy evoking, and directing, agent". Later, expanding on what he means by this definition Campbell says: Jared Elisha defined symbolism that is something that stands for another, it can be place, object, or a person Heinrich Zimmer gives a concise overview of the nature, and perennial relevance, of symbols.