Measurement of Calcium Release Due to Inositol Trisphosphate Receptors in Skeletal Muscle

Calcium transients elicited by IP₃ receptors upon electrical stimulation of skeletal muscle cells (slow calcium signals) are often hard to visualize due to their relatively small amplitude compared to the large transient originated from ryanodine receptors associated to excitation-contraction coupling. The study of slow calcium transients, however, is relevant due to their function in regulation of muscle gene expression and in the process of excitation-transcription coupling. Discussed here are the procedures used to record slow calcium signals from both cultured mouse myotubes and from cultured adult skeletal muscle fibers.