[Calcium dynamics in skeletal muscle]

There are two kinds of Ca(2+) homeostasis, a short-term and a long-term ones, in skeletal muscle. In the former, Ca(2+) changes its location within a cell during EC coupling, while in the latter, cellular Ca(2+) content changes according to extracellular Ca(2+) concentration, i.e., Ca(2+) moves across cell membrane. Ca(2+) influx and efflux system of skeletal muscle has not been well known. Recently, the presence of store-operated Ca(2+) entry, which has important role in non-excitable cells, has been shown in skeletal muscle. The influx is indicated to be larger than that of Ca(2+) influx through L-type voltage-gated Ca(2+) channel.