Extent of increase in intracellular calcium concentration in electrically stimulated chick embryo heart cells does not depend on resting intracellular calcium concentration.
Using Fura-2 digital imaging microscopy, we found two cell populations in chick embryo heart with different resting intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i). Electrical stimulation of the cells led to the same increase in [Ca2+]i in both cell types, e.g. from 118 +/- 24 nM up to a peak of 243 +/- 67 nM (SD, n = 18) and from 44 +/- 15 nM up to a peak of 135 +/- 59 nM (SD, n = 13) in cells with high and low resting [Ca2+]i, respectively. All the cells showed the same rate of decline in [Ca2+]i. Due to synchronic stimulation and contraction, this method is suitable to measure [Ca2+]i transients at a high time resolution in individual cells.
Ahlemeyer
B
B
Institut für Ernährungswissenschaft, Justus-Liebig-Universität Giessen, BRD.
Weintraut
H
H
Schoner
W
W
D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000502:physiology*; D015220:Calcium Channels / Q000502:physiology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002642:Chick Embryo; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D004562:Electrocardiography; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology*; D007424:Intracellular Fluid / Q000502:physiology*; D009200:Myocardial Contraction / Q000502:physiology*; D015290:Second Messenger Systems / Q000502:physiology
D015220:Calcium Channels; D002118:Calcium