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Buffer Systems in the Body

Buffer Systems in the Body

Chemical buffers play a critical role in the body's regulation of pH levels. These systems contain one or more compounds that stabilize pH changes by neutralizing strong acids or bases. When pH levels drop, hydrogen ions bind to a weak base; when pH levels rise, hydrogen ions are released. This dynamic process helps maintain pH within a narrow and stable range essential for normal physiological function.
A typical buffer system in bodily fluids includes a weak acid and its corresponding anion,...

G-Protein Gated Ion Channels

G-Protein Gated Ion Channels

GPCRs are primarily responsible for our sense of smell, taste, and vision. The binding of a sensory stimulus activates GPCR to stimulate effector proteins, many of which are ion channels in the sensory organs. GPCRs modulate the opening and closing of the target ion channels either directly by binding them, or by releasing second messengers that activate these channels. As ions move across the membrane, the membrane potential is altered, which induces an appropriate response.
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Antihypertensive Drugs: Action of Calcium Channel Blockers

Antihypertensive Drugs: Action of Calcium Channel Blockers

Calcium ions are essential to contract smooth muscle cells in blood vessels. They enter these cells through voltage-dependent calcium channels, specifically L-type calcium channels in the cell membrane. These L-type calcium channels are integral to the excitation-contraction coupling process in smooth muscle. When a stimulus is received by smooth muscle cells, their membrane depolarizes. This alteration in membrane potential instigates the opening of L-type calcium channels. As a result,...

Protein Buffers in Blood Plasma and Cells

Protein Buffers in Blood Plasma and Cells

The human body utilizes protein buffer systems to maintain a stable pH. These systems capitalize on the dual role of amino acids, which can act as acids or bases by accepting or releasing hydrogen ions in response to pH changes. Protein buffer systems are particularly significant in the extracellular fluid (ECF) and intracellular fluid (ICF) of active cells, where structural and functional proteins provide substantial buffering capacity.
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Calmodulin-dependent Signaling

Calmodulin-dependent Signaling

Calmodulin (CaM) is a calcium-binding protein in eukaryotes that controls various calcium-regulated cellular processes. It has four calcium-binding sites that bind calcium to form the calcium-calmodulin ( Ca2+-CaM) complex. GPCR stimulation increases the calcium levels in the cells that bind to CaM and induces a conformational change.
The Ca2+-CaM complex does not have enzymatic activity by itself. Instead, the complex binds downstream target proteins, including membrane proteins or enzymes,...

Cardiac Action Potential

Cardiac Action Potential

Cardiac action potentials are essential for proper heart function, enabling the rhythmic contractions needed for adequate blood circulation. Nodal cells and Purkinje fibers, specialized for electrical conduction, generate these action potentials.
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Ionic Basis of Cardiac Action Potentials

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 14, 2026

Assessment of Myofilament Ca2+ Sensitivity Underlying Cardiac Excitation-contraction Coupling

Assessment of Myofilament Ca²⁺ Sensitivity Underlying Cardiac Excitation-contraction Coupling

Published on: August 1, 2016

Membrane associated Ca2+ buffers in the heart.

Dukgyu Lee¹, Marek Michalak

¹Department of Biochemistry, School of Molecular and Systems Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G2H7.

|April 2, 2010

Summary

Calcium (Ca2+) signaling is vital for heart development. While endoplasmic reticulum protein calreticulin deficiency is lethal, the absence of sarcoplasmic reticulum protein calsequestrin does not impair cardiac function, highlighting complex calcium regulation in the heart.

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Assessment of Myofilament Ca2+ Sensitivity Underlying Cardiac Excitation-contraction Coupling

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Local Field Fluorescence Microscopy: Imaging Cellular Signals in Intact Hearts

Local Field Fluorescence Microscopy: Imaging Cellular Signals in Intact Hearts

Published on: March 8, 2017

Area of Science:

Cardiovascular Biology
Cellular Signaling
Molecular Physiology

Background:

Intracellular calcium ions (Ca2+) are crucial signaling molecules regulating numerous cellular processes, including cardiac development.
The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) are primary intracellular Ca2+ storage sites.
Calreticulin, an ER Ca2+-buffering protein, is essential for cardiac development, with its deficiency causing embryonic lethality.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the role of calsequestrin, the most abundant SR Ca2+-buffering protein, in cardiac development and function.
To compare the functional significance of ER-resident calreticulin versus SR-resident calsequestrin in cardiac physiology.

Main Methods:

Analysis of cardiac development and function in calsequestrin-deficient embryonic models.
Assessment of Ca2+ release and contractile properties in the absence of calsequestrin.

Main Results:

Embryos lacking calsequestrin exhibit normal viability and cardiac development.
Normal Ca2+ release and contractile function were observed in calsequestrin-deficient hearts.
This contrasts with the embryonic lethality observed in calreticulin-deficient models.

Conclusions:

While calreticulin is indispensable for cardiac development, calsequestrin appears non-essential for embryonic viability and normal cardiac contractile function.
The distinct roles of ER and SR Ca2+-buffering proteins underscore the complex and compartmentalized regulation of Ca2+ homeostasis in the heart.