title: L-Type Ca(2+) channel charge movement and intracellular Ca(2+) in skeletal muscle fibers from aging mice.
abstract: In this work we tested the hypothesis that skeletal muscle fibers from aging mice exhibit a significant decline in myoplasmic Ca(2+) concentration resulting from a reduction in L-type Ca(2+) channel (dihydropyridine receptor, DHPR) charge movement. Skeletal muscle fibers from the flexor digitorum brevis (FDB) muscle were obtained from 5-7-, 14-18-, or 21-24-month-old FVB mice and voltage-clamped in the whole-cell configuration of the patch-clamp technique according to described procedures (Wang, Z.-M., M. L. Messi, and O. Delbono. 1999. Biophys. J. 77:2709-2716). Total charge movement or the DHPR charge movement was measured simultaneously with intracellular Ca(2+) concentration. The maximum charge movement (Q(max)) recorded (mean +/- SEM, in nC microF(-1)) was 53 +/- 3.2 (n = 47), 51 +/- 3.2 (n = 35) (non-significant, ns), and 33 +/- 1.9 (n = 32) (p < 0.01), for the three age groups, respectively. Q(max) corresponding to the DHPR was 43 +/- 3.3, 38 +/- 4.1 (ns), and 25 +/- 3.4 (p < 0.01) for the three age groups, respectively. The peak intracellular [Ca(2+)] recorded at 40 mV (in microM) was 15.7 +/- 0. 12, 16.7 +/- 0.18 (ns), and 8.2 +/- 0.07 (p < 0.01) for the three age groups, respectively. No significant changes in the voltage distribution or steepness of the Q-V or [Ca(2+)]-V relationship were found. These data support the concept that the reduction in the peak intracellular [Ca(2+)] results from a larger number of ryanodine receptors uncoupled to DHPRs in skeletal muscle fibers from aging mammals.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Gerontology; Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA.
authors.forename: Z M
authors.initials: ZM
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Messi
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Delbono
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D055592:Biophysical Phenomena; D001703:Biophysics; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D020746:Calcium Channels, L-Type / Q000378:metabolism*; D004594:Electrophysiology; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007424:Intracellular Fluid / Q000378:metabolism; D008564:Membrane Potentials; D051379:Mice; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000378:metabolism*; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques
chemical_list: D020746:Calcium Channels, L-Type; D002118:Calcium