Role of mitochondria on the Calcium diffusion inside a muscle cell

How important is the calcium diffusion in the sequential activation of the thick filament? I discussed about this topic in a previous post.

With my collaborators at the Department of Biomedical Sciences in Padova University, we are exploring this issue through a mathematical model based on experimental data on calcium signalling in the three main compartments of the muscle cells: sarcoplasmic reticulum, cytosol and mitoshondria.

In fact, while usually neglected, we think that mithocondria may play an important role in the calcium distribution during activation, at least in skeletal muscle cells. Our work lead to an extensive review done with the priceless enormous contribution of Prof. Carlo Reggiani, just published in the Journal of General Physiology.  You can read it here, but our main conclusion is that the mitochondria may have an important role, and that this must be elucidated with further analyses. 

From the point of view of the super relaxed state, and its activation, this is important in understanding the real gradient of calcium which occurs in naturally contracting cells.