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The effect of calcium on contraction and conductance thresholds in frog skeletal muscle
Author(s) -
Costantin L. L.
Publication year - 1968
Publication title -
the journal of physiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.802
H-Index - 240
eISSN - 1469-7793
pISSN - 0022-3751
DOI - 10.1113/jphysiol.1968.sp008450
Subject(s) - divalent , depolarization , conductance , chemistry , calcium , potassium , contraction (grammar) , sodium , biophysics , magnesium , muscle contraction , extracellular , biochemistry , endocrinology , biology , mathematics , organic chemistry , combinatorics
1. The effect of extracellular calcium and magnesium on the contraction threshold and on the thresholds for an increase in sodium and potassium conductance with depolarization was studied in voltage‐clamped frog muscle fibres. 2. A larger depolarization was required to reach each of the three thresholds when the concentration of divalent cation was increased. 3. The contraction and potassium conductance thresholds appeared to shift in parallel with alterations in calcium over the concentration range 0·2‐10·0 m M and in magnesium over the concentration range 5·4‐90·0 m M . The shift amounted to about 4 mV for a threefold change in concentration of divalent cation. 4. The sodium conductance threshold was much more sensitive to alterations in divalent cation concentration than was either the contraction or the potassium conductance threshold.