Analysis of spontaneous and nerve-evoked calcium transients in intact extraocular muscles in vitro.

ABSTRACT: Extraocular muscles (EOMs) have unique calcium handling properties, yet little is known about the dynamics of calcium events underlying ultrafast and tonic contractions in myofibers of intact EOMs. Superior oblique EOMs of juvenile chickens were dissected with their nerve attached, maintained in oxygenated Krebs buffer, and loaded with fluo-4. Spontaneous and nerve stimulation-evoked calcium transients were recorded and, following calcium imaging, some EOMs were double-labeled with rhodamine-conjugated alpha-bungarotoxin (rhBTX) to identify EOM myofiber types. EOMs showed two main types of spontaneous calcium transients, one slow type (calcium waves with 1/2(max) duration of 2-12 s, velocity of 25-50 μm/s) and two fast "flash-like" types (Type 1, 30-90 ms; Type 2, 90-150 ms 1/2(max) durati

SUBMITTER: Feng CY 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3383438 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature