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Updated: Aug 12, 2026

Imaging Calcium Dynamics in Subpopulations of Mouse Pancreatic Islet Cells
Published on: November 26, 2019
Switching from simple to complex oscillations in calcium signaling
U Kummer1, L F Olsen, C J Dixon
1European Media Laboratory, 69118 Heidelberg, Germany. ursula.kummer@eml.villa-bosch.de
Abstract:
We present a new model for calcium oscillations based on experiments in hepatocytes. The model considers feedback inhibition on the initial agonist receptor complex by calcium and activated phospholipase C, as well as receptor type-dependent self-enhanced behavior of the activated G(alpha) subunit. It is able to show simple periodic oscillations and periodic bursting, and it is the first model to display chaotic bursting in response to agonist stimulations. Moreover, our model offers a possible explanation for the differences in dynamic behavior observed in response to different agonists in hepatocytes.
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