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Model for the Action of Calcium in Muscle

Nature New Biology volume 237, pages 208–211 (1972)Cite this article

Abstract

CALCIUM ions play an important part in contraction1–3, but little is known of the way that changes in internal calcium actually control the events that lead to the development of tension. Most experiments involving calcium have been performed under steady state conditions at different stabilized calcium concentrations4–9 and can only give limited information as to the action of calcium. Recently, tension transient experiments have been described at either constant calcium concentration6,7 or when the calcium concentration was varying in a known manner10,11. From these and related experiments, a model for the kinetics of calcium has been deduced which predicts not only the time course of tension development from just a knowledge of the free calcium concentration, but which is also able to correlate the ATPase, tension and calcium binding responses in the steady state. The model considers that two calciums act as separate effectors with a de-repressant action in the same functional unit.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Physiology and Zoology, University of Bristol, Bristol

    C. C. ASHLEY & D. G. MOISESCU

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  1. C. C. ASHLEY
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  2. D. G. MOISESCU
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ASHLEY, C., MOISESCU, D. Model for the Action of Calcium in Muscle. Nature New Biology 237, 208–211 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1038/newbio237208a0

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