calcium ion

In the mid-1970s the calcium channel blockers, another type of antiarrhythmic drug, were introduced. Verapamil and diltiazem are important examples of this class of drugs. They reduce the influx of calcium ions through the cell membrane, which normally occurs when the cell is depolarized. This movement of calcium ions…

It also releases calcium ions when the muscle cell is triggered by nerve stimuli, resulting in muscle contraction. In this way, the sarcoplasmic reticulum helps regulate calcium ion concentrations in the cytoplasm of skeletal muscle cells. The sarcoplasmic reticulum is also found in smooth muscle cells, though in…

Many animal cells can perform a primary active transport of calcium out of the cell, developing a 10,000-fold gradient of that ion. Calcium-activated ATPases have been isolated and shown to be intrinsic proteins straddling the membrane and undergoing conformational changes similar to those…