Essential Roles of Intracellular Calcium Release Channels in Muscle, Brain, Metabolism, and Aging
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Updated: Apr 12, 2026

Assessment of Calcium Sparks in Intact Skeletal Muscle Fibers
Published on: February 24, 2014
Gaetano Santulli1, Andrew R Marks
1The Wu Center for Molecular Cardiology, Department of Physiology and Cellular Biophysics, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University Medical Center, Department of Medicine, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA. gsantulli001@gmail.com.
Abstract:
Calcium (Ca(2+)) release from intracellular stores controls numerous cellular processes, including cardiac and skeletal muscle contraction, synaptic transmission and metabolism. The ryanodine receptors (RyRs: RyR1, RyR2, RyR3) and inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptors (IP3Rs: IP3R1, IP3R2, IP3R3) are the major Ca(2+) release channels (CRCs) on the endo/sarcoplasmic reticulum (ER/SR). RyRs and IP3Rs comprise macromolecular signaling complexes that include modulatory proteins which regulate channel activity in response to extracellular signals resulting in intracellular Ca(2+) release. Here we focus on the roles of CRCs in heart, skeletal muscle, brain, metabolism, and aging.
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