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Excitation-contraction coupling in myocardium relies on sarcolemma depolarization and subsequent Ca 2+ entry to trigger Ca 2+ release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum. When an action potential depolarizes the cell membrane, voltage-gated Ca 2+ channels (e.g., L-type calcium channels) are activated.
Calcium signaling is the use of calcium ions (Ca 2+) to communicate and drive intracellular processes often as a step in signal transduction. Ca 2+ is important for cellular signalling , for once it enters the cytosol of the cytoplasm it exerts allosteric regulatory effects on many enzymes and proteins .
A calcium spark is the microscopic release of calcium (Ca 2+) from a store known as the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR), located within muscle cells. [1] This release occurs through an ion channel within the membrane of the SR, known as a ryanodine receptor (RyR), which opens upon activation. [2] This process is important as it helps to maintain Ca ...
Calcium can bind to several different calcium-modulated proteins such as troponin-C (the first one to be identified) and calmodulin, proteins that are necessary for promoting contraction in muscle. In the endothelial cells which line the inside of blood vessels, Ca 2+ ions can regulate several signaling pathways which cause the smooth muscle ...
The plasma total calcium concentration is in the range of 2.2–2.6 mmol/L (9–10.5 mg/dL), and the normal ionized calcium is 1.3–1.5 mmol/L (4.5–5.6 mg/dL). [4] The amount of total calcium in the blood varies with the level of plasma albumin, the most abundant protein in plasma, and therefore the main carrier of protein-bound calcium in the blood.
When these cells are depolarized, the L-type calcium channels open as in smooth muscle. In skeletal muscle, the actual opening of the channel, which is mechanically gated to a calcium-release channel (a.k.a. ryanodine receptor, or RYR) in the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR), causes opening of the RYR.
[1] [2] [3] The calcium ion concentration in sarcoplasm is also a special element of the muscle fiber; it is the means by which muscle contractions take place and are regulated. [ 4 ] [ 5 ] The sarcoplasm plays a critical role in muscle contraction as an increase in Ca 2+ concentration in the sarcoplasm begins the process of filament sliding.
Calcium release-activated channels (CRAC) are specialized plasma membrane Ca 2+ ion channels. When calcium ions (Ca 2+ ) are depleted from the endoplasmic reticulum (a major store of Ca 2+ ) of mammalian cells, the CRAC channel is activated to slowly replenish the level of calcium in the endoplasmic reticulum .