Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
This can cause a spontaneous release of neurotransmitters via sympathetic or parasympathetic nerve channels. The last potential result is a specific and localized subplasmalemmal Ca 2+ release. This type of release increases the activation of protein kinase , and is seen in cardiac muscle where it causes excitation-concentration coupling.
Calcium-binding proteins have specific domains that bind to calcium and are known to be heterogeneous. One of the functions of calcium binding proteins is to regulate the amount of free (unbound) Ca 2+ in the cytosol of the cell. [1] The cellular regulation of calcium is known as calcium homeostasis.
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.
The US Institute of Medicine (IOM) established Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) for calcium in 1997 and updated those values in 2011. [6] See table. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) uses the term Population Reference Intake (PRIs) instead of RDAs and sets slightly different numbers: ages 4–10 800 mg, ages 11–17 1150 mg, ages 18–24 1000 mg, and >25 years 950 mg. [10]
When a smooth muscle cell is depolarized, it causes opening of the voltage-gated (L-type) calcium channels. [13] [14] Depolarization may be brought about by stretching of the cell, agonist-binding its G protein-coupled receptor , or autonomic nervous system stimulation.
Calmodulin is a small, highly conserved protein that is 148 amino acids long (16.7 kDa). The protein has two approximately symmetrical globular domains (the N- and C- domains) each containing a pair of EF hand motifs [5] separated by a flexible linker region for a total of four Ca 2+ binding sites, two in each globular domain. [6]
When an action potential depolarizes the cell membrane, voltage-gated Ca 2+ channels (e.g., L-type calcium channels) are activated. CICR occurs when the resulting Ca 2+ influx activates ryanodine receptors on the SR membrane, which causes more Ca 2+ to be released into the cytosol.
When CaM binds to Ca2+, the effective pKa is lowered, allowing for chromophore deprotonation. [14] This results in increased fluorescence upon calcium binding in an intensiometric fashion. Such detection is in contrast with ratiometric systems, in which there is a change in the absorbance/emission spectra as a result of Ca2+ binding. [15]