Proteolytic modification of the Ca²-release mechanism of sarcoplasmic reticulum in skeletal muscle

Calcium ions are important mediators in the mechanism of contraction and relaxation of muscle fibers. Depolarization of sarcolemma and transverse tubule causes an increase of myoplasmic ca2+ concentration which induces contraction of the myofibrils. In skeletal muscle fibers, the intracellular Ca2+ concentraton is regulated by an extensive membrane system, the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR). Ca2+-release from SR is initiated by depolarization of the transverse tubule via a process referred to as excitation-contraction coupling. The Ca2+ - release channel located in the junctional SR plays an important role in this mechanism