Software for simulating calcium-triggered exocytotic processes.
We describe a software package for the simulation of exocytotic events from readily releasable pools of secretory vesicles in neuroendocrine cells and presynaptic terminals. The visual package Ca3D_Exolab simulates the entry of Ca(2+) through the calcium channels, the kinetic reactions of calcium with buffers, the diffusion of calcium and mobile buffers, and the kinetic reactions of calcium with the secretory vesicles. The location of both channels and secretory vesicles can be set by using a graphical interface. Calcium and buffer concentrations at different depths from the cellular membrane and capacitance time courses are obtained as outputs. The software package also provides a descriptive statistical data analysis of the different output data.
Carrera
Germán
G
Departamento de Matemáticas, Estadística y Computación, Universidad de Cantabria, 39005 Santander, Spain.
Gil
Amparo
A
Segura
Javier
J
Soria
Bernat
B
D002118:Calcium / Q000502:physiology*; D019439:Chromaffin Cells / Q000502:physiology; D003198:Computer Simulation; D005089:Exocytosis; D008954:Models, Biological; D009010:Monte Carlo Method; D017729:Presynaptic Terminals / Q000502:physiology; D012984:Software
D002118:Calcium