Membrane sealing in frog skeletal-muscle fibers

Self-sealing, not found in frog skeletal muscle fibers immersed in Ringer's solution, can be induced by solutions rich in calcium ion. Strontium replaced calcium on the sealing process, but magnesium did not. The sealing accomplished in high-calcium media was preserved in those fibers reimmersed in normal Ringer's solution. Measurements of the rate of sealing at different temperatures indicated that self-sealing induced by calcium has a high activation energy. Phospholipase C, an enzyme that hydrolyzes membrane phospholipids, produced a marked depression on the rate of sealing. Trypsin or chymotrypsin had no influence on the sealing process.