[Possibilities of therapeutic applications of neuronal calcium homeostasis].

The role of calcium as a second messenger which mediates the transmission of the signal and has an impact on cellular regulation of the majority of organs at all stages of development was confirmed during the past decade. In the submitted review the authors summarize mechanisms by which calcium exerts its regulatory function. At the same time the authors discuss the possible ratio of disorders in the above systems in various diseases in particular those of the central nervous system and possible pharmacotherapeutic interferences at different levels of transmission of the signal mediated by calcium.

Conformational stability of spectrin and fodrin.

The conformational stability of erythrocyte spectrin and brain spectrin-like protein (fodrin) has been studied by circular dichroism. In agreement with previous reports the circular dichroism spectra of both proteins in the peptide region were almost identical. The essential differences, on the other hand, were found in the near u.

Structural analogy among mammalian spectrins and spectrin-like proteins revealed by molybdenum labeling.

Pentavalent complex of 99Mo with ascorbic acid binds in vitro to the plasma membranes of human, rabbit, rat and mouse red cell membranes and to bovine synaptic and rat intestinal brush border membranes. Red cell spectrins and spectrin-like proteins from non-erythroid cells were determined as the molybdenum-binding proteins in the membranes. Specificity of this binding among all membrane proteins suggests structural analogy in this group of proteins.