This book reports the text of the lectures of the 6
th
International Conference on Sodium Calcium Exchange held in Lacco Ameno in the Island of Ischia in the Gulf of Naples, Italy, from October 1 to October 5, 2011.
The present book uncovers the most striking new findings on NCX that emerged since the previous Conference on Sodium Calcium Exchange, such as the structural dissection of the molecular determinants of Ca
2+
sensitivity of the exchanger, the epigenetic regulation of
ncx1
gene, the molecular identification of the mihondrial Sodium Calcium Exchanger, and the discovery of NCX in unexpected anatomical locations such as the female reproductive tract.
The book is organized into 11 parts covering NCX structural aspects, genetic and epigenetic regulation, regulatory mechanisms, subcellular localization in mihondria, involvement in neurodegenerative diseases and in immune regulation, and the role of the cardiovascular and endocrine systems, as well as diabetes in physiology and pathophysiology. Selected chapters of the book are also devoted to the interaction of NCKX and other ion channels and transporters with NCX, like ASICs, TRPM, and NHE.