title: Free cytoplasmic Ca++ at rest and after cholinergic stimulus is increased in cultured muscle cells from Duchenne muscular dystrophy patients.
abstract: We used a fluorescent dye, quin 2, to measure intracellular free calcium ([Ca++]i) in cultured skeletal muscle cells and skin fibroblasts from five Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) patients and from five controls. We observed an enhanced [Ca++]i level, at rest and after acetylcholine (ACh) stimulation, in DMD muscle cells, but we did not detect any difference between DMD and normal skin fibroblasts. The abnormally higher [Ca++]i transient induced by ACh suggests that it plays a critical role in muscle degeneration. The skin fibroblast results suggests that there is no generalized membrane defect.
authors.affiliation: Clinica Neurologica II, Università degli Studi, Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mongini
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ghigo
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Doriguzzi
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bussolino
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pescarmona
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Pollo
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Schiffer
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bosia
mesh_terms: D000109:Acetylcholine / Q000502:physiology*; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000378:metabolism*; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D009132:Muscles / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D009136:Muscular Dystrophies / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D012146:Rest; D013268:Stimulation, Chemical
chemical_list: D000109:Acetylcholine; D002118:Calcium