The subcellular localization of calcium in vertebrate smooth muscle; calcium-containing and calcium-accumulating structures in muscle cells of mouse intestine.

The intracellular localization of calcium by means of cytochemical techniques was studied in smooth muscle cells of mouse intestine. When the lead acetate method according to Carasso and Favard (1966) was used calcium was found in mitochondria and sarcoplasmic reticulum and occasionally between the myofilaments. The active ATP-dependent accumulation of calcium into cell structures was investigated by the oxalate method (Heumann and Zebe, 1967). After appropriate treatment the only structures of smooth muscle cells which contained calcium oxalate (identified by microprobe analysis) were elements of the sarcoplasmic reticulum. The results are discussed in relation to the role of calcium in the control of muscle activity during the contraction-relaxation cycle.