Membranes, calcium, and coupling

Abstract

Every eukaryotic cell contains systems linking the extracellular space and internal membrane compartments. These systems allow cells to communicate and, ultimately they allow the nervous system to control most of the cytoplasmic activity. In skeletal muscle, this system is called "excitation-contraction coupling." While much is known of the early and late steps in coupling, the critical link between the cell (i.e., here the T system) membrane and sarcoplasmic reticulum membrane is not known. Electrical coupling cannot easily account for experimental results; here we show that the Ca2+ influx is not causally related to the excitation-contraction coupling. The most likely mechanism seems to be a variant of the "remote control model" in which a voltage change and accompanying charge movement in the T membrane activates an enzyme tethered to the cytoplasmic leaflet of the T membrane but spanning part of the T--sarcoplasmic reticulum gap.