ABSTRACT
Calcium puffs are local Ca^sup 2+^ release events that arise from a cluster of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor channels (IP^sub 3^R8) and serve as a basic "building block" from which global Ca^sup 2+^ waves are generated. Important questions remain as to the number of IP^sub 3^Rs that open during a puff, their spatial distribution within a cluster, and how much Ca^sup 2+^ current flows through each channel. The recent discovery of "trigger" events-small Ca^sup 2+^ signals that immediately precede puffs and are interpreted to arise through opening of single IP^sub 3^R channels-now provides a useful yardstick by which to calibrate the Ca^sup 2+^ flux underlying puffs. …
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