Excitation-contraction coupling. Bridging the gap

An ultrastructural and biochemical study of foot structure in "catch" smooth muscle cells of a clam

The foot structure of molluscan (clam) catch muscle cells was studied from the structural and biochemical standpoints. In vertebrate cross striated muscle cells, foot structures are situated in the interspaces between T-tubules and sarcoplasmic reticula (SRs). By contrast, T-tubules were not observed in clam catch muscle cells, but foot structures were ultrastructurally identified in the interspaces between the SRs and cell membranes. We isolated the SR fraction from muscle cells which contained vesicles with SRs and cell membranes. Foot structures were also observed in the SR fraction by thin sectioning. The size and shape of the foot structure in both intact muscle cells and the SR fractions appeared to be slightly smaller than those of vertebrates. However, the molecular weight of the foot structures (foot proteins) as determined by SDS-PAGE (450 kD) was similar to ryanodine receptors (RyRs) which were reported previously in cross striated muscle cells from pecten and vertebrates. The protein showing the 450 kD band reacted to an anti-ryanodine receptor by Western blotting. These findings are discussed in comparison with previous studies of foot structures and RyRs of vertebrates and invertebrates.

Localized intracellular calcium signaling in muscle: calcium sparks and calcium quarks

Subcellularly localized Ca2+ signals in cardiac and skeletal muscle have recently been identified as elementary Ca2+ signaling events. The signals, termed Ca2+ sparks and Ca2+ quarks, represent openings of Ca2+ release channels located in the membrane of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR). In cardiac muscle, the revolutionary discovery of Ca2+ sparks has allowed the development of a fundamentally different concept for the amplification of Ca2+ signals by Ca(2+)-induced Ca2+ release. In such a system, a graded amplification of the triggering Ca2+ signal entering the myocyte via L-type Ca2+ channels is accomplished by a recruitment process whereby individual SR Ca2+ release units are locally controlled by L-type Ca2+ channels. In skeletal muscle, the initial SR Ca2+ release is governed by voltage-sensors but subsequently activates additional Ca2+ sparks by Ca(2+)-induced Ca2+ release from the SR. Results from studies on elementary Ca2+ release events will improve our knowledge of muscle Ca2+ signaling at all levels of complexity, from the molecule to normal cellular function, and from the regulation of cardiac and skeletal muscle force to the pathophysiology of excitation-contraction coupling.