Calcium is released from the junctional sarcoplasmic reticulum during cardiac muscle contraction.
We have used electron-probe microanalysis (EPMA) to address the question of Ca2+ release by junctional sarcoplasmic reticulum (JSR) as well as Ca2+ regulation by mitochondria (MT) during cardiac muscle contraction. Hamster papillary muscles were rapidly frozen during relaxation or at the peak rate of tension rise (+dT/dt). Total Ca2+ content was measured by EPMA in the JSR, within a MT, over the A band, and in the whole cell, in nine cells per animal (five animals per group). JSR Ca2+ content was found to be significantly lower in muscles frozen at the peak of contraction [7.3 +/- 1.3 (mean +/- SE) mmol Ca2+/kg dry wt] than in those frozen during relaxation (12.5 +/- 1.9 mmol Ca2+/kg dry wt; P less than 0.01), suggesting that Ca2+ is released from this storage site during cardiac muscle contraction. In contrast, MT Ca2+ content did not change significantly during contraction (0.4 +/- 0.1 mmol/kg dry wt) compared with relaxation (0.1 +/- 0.2 mmol/kg dry wt). A third group of muscles was frozen during relaxation after pretreatment with 10(-7) M ryanodine. Ca2+ content of the JSR was significantly decreased (P less than 0.01) in this group of muscles, (6.4 +/- 1.8 mmol/kg dry wt) compared with those frozen during relaxation in the absence of the drug. This suggests that the intracellular storage site with a decreased Ca2+ content in muscles frozen at the peak of contraction is the ryanodine-releasable store. These results provide the first direct measurement of the Ca2+ content of both JSR and MT during a normal cardiac muscle contraction and demonstrate that Ca2+ is released from the JSR during muscle contraction.
Moravec
C S
CS
Department of Heart and Hypertension Research, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Ohio 44195-5069.
Bond
M
M
D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D006224:Cricetinae; D004577:Electron Probe Microanalysis; D005615:Freezing; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008297:Male; D008647:Mesocricetus; D008929:Mitochondria, Heart / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009200:Myocardial Contraction / Q000502:physiology*; D015388:Organelles / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D010210:Papillary Muscles / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D012519:Sarcoplasmic Reticulum / Q000378:metabolism*; D013997:Time Factors
D002118:Calcium