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A quantitative model for refilling of the sarcoplasmic reticulum during vascular smooth muscle asynchronous [Ca2+] oscillations

Nicola Fameli·Cornelis Van Breemen·Kuo-Hsing Kuo
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Abstract

We have developed a quantitative model for the creation of cytoplasmic Ca2+ gradients near the inner surface of the plasma membrane (PM). In particular we simulated the refilling of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) via PM-SR junctions during asynchronous [Ca2+] oscillations in smooth muscle cells of the rabbit inferior vena cava. We have combined confocal microscopy data on the [Ca2+] oscillations, force transduction data from cell contraction studies and electron microscopic images to build a basis for computational simulations that model the transport of calcium ions from Na+/Ca2+ exchangers (NCX) on the PM to sarcoplasmic/endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ ATPase (SERCA) pumps on the SR as a three-dimensional random walk through the PM-SR junctional cytoplasmic spaces. Electron microscopic ultrastructural images of the smooth muscle cells were elaborated with software algorithms to produce a very clear and dimensionally accurate picture of the PM-SR junctions. From this study, we conclude that it is plausible and possible for enough Ca2+ to pass through the PM-SR junctions to replete the SR during the regenerative Ca2+ release, which underlies agonist induced asynchronous Ca2+ oscillations in vascular smooth muscle.

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Nicola Fameli, Cornelis Van Breemen, Kuo-Hsing Kuo. 2007-04-02. A quantitative model for refilling of the sarcoplasmic reticulum during vascular smooth muscle asynchronous [Ca2+] oscillations. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ceca.2007.02.001

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