STIM1 and cardiac hypertrophy: Using a combination of in-vitro and in-vivo assays we have demonstrated that: i) STIM1 is necessary to maintain optimal cardiac function and plays a critical role in the development of pressure overload-induced cardiac hypertrophy; ii) at cellular level, STIM1 forms intracellular clusters responsible for the generation of spatially restricted Ca2+ microdomains required for cytoskeletal myofilament remodeling and activation of pro-hypertrophic signaling pathways.