Voltage-dependent mobilization of intracellular calcium in skeletal muscle

In skeletal muscle calcium is released from the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR), an internal organelle, in response to changes in the voltage across the transverse tubule (T-tubule) membrane, an external membrane system that is distinct from the SR but in close proximity to it. For T-tubule voltage changes within the physiological range, calcium release can be turned on or off on a time scale of milliseconds. The control of calcium release from the SR appears to involve at least three functional components: a voltage sensor in the T-tubule membrane, a calcium channel in the SR, and a mechanism for coupling the voltage sensor to the channel. Movement of charged or dipolar molecules within the T-tubule membrane is thought to serve as the voltage sensor. Such intramembrane charge movement (Q) can be monitored electrically and can be compared with the rate of calcium release from the SR. Calcium release is calculated from cytosolic calcium transients measured with a metallochromic indicator. Comparison of Q and the rate of release in the same isolated muscle fibre indicates that this rate is directly proportional to the amount of charge displaced in excess of a 'threshold' amount. The nature of the coupling mechanism between T-tubules and SR remains to be established but present observations impose some restrictions on possible mechanisms.