BACKGROUND Many targets of calcium signaling pathways are activated or inhibited by binding the Ca(2+)-liganded form of calmodulin (Ca(2+)-CaM). Here, we test the hypothesis that local Ca(2+)-CaM-regulated signaling processes can be selectively activated by local intracellular differences in free Ca(2+)-CaM concentration. RESULTS Energy-transfer confocal microscopy of a fluorescent biosensor ...

Background: Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a common inflammatory disease of unknown origins. Recent studies have considered nutritional factors concerning the pathogenesis of many autoimmune disorders. The objective of the present study was to investigate the plasma levels of magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), and iron (Fe) in this disorder. Methods: Included in this observation...

We used a Ca++-sensitive electrode to measure changes in extracellular Ca++ concentration in cell suspensions of Dictyostelium discoideum during differentiation and attractant stimulation. The cells maintained an external level of 3-8 microM Ca++ until the beginning of aggregation and then started to take up Ca++. The attractants, folic acid, cyclic AMP, and cyclic GMP, induced a transient upta...

We have previously shown that non-digestible saccharides (NDS) stimulate intestinal Ca absorption via tight junctions. However, the cellular mechanisms activated by the NDS are not yet known. We investigated the effects of four NDS, difructose anhydride (DFA) III, DFAIV, fructo-oligosaccharides, and maltitol, on intracellular Ca signalling in isolated rat small-intestinal enterocytes. The chang...

The effects of dietary fructooligosaccharide (FOS) and dietary mannitol on the absorption of Ca and Mg in a short term feeding trial were studied. Adult Wistar rats were divided into three groups and fed diets containing 0, 8% FOS or 8% mannitol for seven days. Daily intake and feces were monitored for three days to determine the apparent absorption of Ca and Mg. At the last day of the feeding ...

Since Ca ions seem to directly participate in the control of erythrocyte membrane structure and deformability and because cell Ca metabolism has been repeatedly proposed to be modified in hypertension, the intracellular calcium ion concentration ([Ca],) was investigated in red blood cells from hypertensive and normotensive subjects. [Ca], was measured by using the fluorescent Ca chelator fura-2...

During illumination, Ca(2+) enters fly photoreceptor cells through light-activated channels that are located in the rhabdomere, the compartment specialized for phototransduction. From the rhabdomere, Ca(2+) diffuses into the cell body. We visualize this process by rapidly imaging the fluorescence in a cross section of a photoreceptor cell injected with a fluorescent Ca(2+) indicator in vivo. Th...

Four hundred and eighty mixed-sex broiler chicks aged 3 hrs after hatching were allotted according to a completely random design in a 6 × 2 × 2 factorial schedule into 2 groups of 12 replications of 20 chicks each. The main experimental factors were fasting for 0, 6, 12, 24, 36, and 48 hrs after chick placement, calcium gluconate (Ca-glu) injection (0 and 0.6 mL) and sex (male and female). Inde...

four hundred and eighty mixed-sex broiler chicks aged 3 hrs after hatching were allotted according to a completely random design in a 6 × 2 × 2 factorial schedule into 2 groups of 12 replications of 20 chicks each. the main experimental factors were fasting for 0, 6, 12, 24, 36, and 48 hrs after chick placement, calcium gluconate (ca-glu) injection (0 and 0.6 ml) and sex (male and female). inde...

introduction: to assess the salivary composition of proteins and minerals in smokers compared with non-smokers.   materials and methods: in this study we compared the total protein and ca, na, k, mg, pb of whole saliva in two groups of men (28 smokers and 31nonsmokers) aged between 29-41years.   results: fifty-nine participants were evaluated. the mean age was 33.14±5.32 years among smokers and...