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This mini-review describes the history of cell volume conferences with the emphasis on the research of cell volume sensitive peptide exocytosis initiated by Prof. Monte A. Greer as well as the recent achievements on the study of the mechanisms of cell volume adjustment and their implications in the regulation of metabolism, gene expression, cell proliferation and death.

Cell volume changes affect a plethora of cellular functions including macromolecular synthesis and catabolism, cell proliferation, differentiation and death. Because of these critical roles, cells regulate their volume with <1% accuracy via compensatory mechanisms termed regulatory volume increase and regulatory volume decrease. Our review focuses on recent advances in understanding the molecular origin of up-stream sensors triggering cellular responses to volume perturbations. The analysis demonstrates a major  role  of  cytoplasmic  hydrogel  as  well  as  the  crosstalk  of  polyphosphoinositides  and  twodimensional cytoskeleton (membrane carcass) in cell volume sensing.