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Spontaneous calcium changes in a smooth muscle cell
Fifteen images of a single smooth muscle cell from the lower part of the small intestine. Smooth muscle, unlike skeletal muscle, is not under our voluntary control. The sequential images (left to right and top to bottom) were captured 0.55 seconds apart using confocal microscopy. This sequence shows the changes in the calcium concentration that occur spontaneously inside the cell. These changes affect the electrical activity of the cell and, in turn, the degree of muscular contraction. The cell has been loaded with a calcium-sensitive dye, which allows the calcium to be visualized. Pink represents the lowest levels of calcium with higher concentrations being shown in blue and tiny areas of very high levels by yellow, green and red.
Dmitri Gordienko and Tom Bolton.
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