Abstract
IT is well established that an increase in the intracellular concentration of ionized calcium after excitation in the membrane is the key factor for initiation of contraction of various types of muscles. In skeletal muscle the tubular structure within the muscle fibres which is in connexion with the surface membrane, the endoplasmic reticulum, has been considered by many to serve as a supply source of this ionized calcium. For heart and smooth muscles, however, in which the development of this structure has been found to be rather poor, there is still uncertainty as to whether the calcium comes from outside the muscle. We have attempted to elucidate this point, using calcium buffers.
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IMAI, S., TAKEDA, K. Calcium and Contraction of Heart and Smooth Muscle. Nature 213, 1044–1045 (1967). https://doi.org/10.1038/2131044a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/2131044a0
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