Ca2+-dependent process

Intracellular Ca2+-levels are controlled by release into, and removal from, the cytoplasm (Fig. 1). Ca2+-pumps in the plasma membrane and endoplasmic reticulum (ER the Ca2+-store in a cell) keep cytoplasmic Ca2+-levels low (about 0.1 pmol/L in resting cells) and generate a 10,000-fold concentration gradient across membranes (because extracellular Ca2+ is in the millimolar range). Upon stimulation, Ca2+ enters the cytosol of the cell via Ca2+-channels (plasma membrane) or via Ca2+-channels in the ER, leading to the activation of a great variety of Ca2+-dependent processes in the cell. 

The AMPA receptors mediate the majority of fast excitatory neurotransmission in the mammalian brain. The rapid kinetics and the low Ca permeability make these receptors ideal for fast neurotransmission without sufficient changes in the intracellular calcium concentration to activate Ca2+-dependent processes. The NMDA receptors are co-localized with the AMPA receptors on many synapses, but the slow kinetics of the NMDA receptor minimize the receptor activation after a single presynaptic glutamate release where the neuron quickly repolarizes, resulting in Mg2+ block... 

Nelson I think it affects the bursting. There is another clock here. If we add iberiotoxin to bladder strips, the amplitudes and durations of the phasic contractions increase. We also observe a slowing of the phasic contraction frequency. This suggests that it is some sort of slow Ca2+ dependent process that causes longer periods between contractions. The net effect of iberiotoxin is a large increase in force amplitude and duration rise, the frequency goes down. 

In the case of red blood cells, it is assumed that the progressive loss of lipid asymmetry, possibly associated with the entry of calcium, is a signal that the cell is aging. This signal, in turn, is recognized by macrophages and leads to cell destruction. Dmgs which, for example, compete for calcium bound to phosphatidylserine could interfere with these processes and many other Ca2+-dependent processes such as protein kinase C activation. The influence of asymmetry in membranes of different phospholipid composition on the fusion of liposomes has been studied and reported [22]. 

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