Ref ID : 348
Stygles, V.G., Bonhaus, D.W., and Hook, J.B.; A method for identifying Ca ionophores using a unicellular organism. J.Pharmacol.Methods 3:243-248, 1980
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Notes
A method is described for identifying Ca++ ionophores using the protozoa Actinosphaerium. This organism is a free-floating spherical form with filamentous axopods radiating from the surface. The axopods are composed of microtubules that disaggregate upon exposure to intracellular Ca2+. In the presence of an appropriate ionophore, extracellular Ca2+ will pass the cell membrane, enter the cell, and disrupt microtubules. The resultant shortening of axopods can be easily quantified under a microscope. This system may prove to be a valuable research tool in the identification of compounds that possess the ability to facilitate transmembrane Ca2+ movement.