Extracellular calcium causes the release of calcium from intracellular stores in chick osteocytes.

We have recently demonstrated that a rise in the extracellular divalent cation concentration induces a rapid elevation of cytosolic calcium in chick osteocytes. Here, we demonstrate that cytosolic calcium elevation that occurs in osteocytes on exposure to elevated extracellular calcium is independent of membrane voltage and is insensitive to modulation by organic calcium channel modulators, namely, BAY K 8644, nicardipine, and nifedipine. However, the calcium elevation was sensitive to modulation by an intracellular calcium antagonist, TMB-8, suggesting that the cytosolic calcium elevation was due to mobilization of this cation from an intracellular store.