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The Third International Symposium on Excitation-Contraction
Coupling in Skeletal, Cardiac, and Smooth Muscle, organized by
George Frank, C. Paul Bianchi, and Henk E. DJ. ter Keurs, was held
in Banff Centre, Banff, Alberta, Canada during June 26 to June 30,
1991. The theme of these symposia has been to recognize the
similarities and dissimilarities of excitation-contraction coupling
in skeletal, cardiac, and smooth muscle. Cross fertilization of
concepts of excitation-contraction coupling in these three types of
muscle has occurred since the early studies in the late fifties and
early sixties on skeletal muscle. Investigators in each field meet
only at specialized symposia which exclude investigators in the
other fields. The purpose of the symposia has been to bring
together international investigators studying
excitation-contraction coupling in skeletal, cardiac, and smooth
muscle so that we may learn from each other and hence provide a
more global concept of excitation-contraction. The Third
International Symposia has accomplished its objective as we
recognize that calcium channels of the sarcolemma and the
sarcoplasmic reticulum play key essential roles in
excitation-contraction coupling in all three types of muscles. In
skeletal muscle the recognition that E-C coupling consists of two
parallel mechanisms, one dependent upon a dihydropyridine
voltage-sensitive sensors coupled to calcium release from the
terminal cisternae via the ryanodine sensitive channel in the foot
structure of the triad.
Knowledge of the mechanism of action of drugs at cellular,
subcellular, or molecular levels is of vital importance not only in
giving the basis of inter pretation of the systemic action of drugs
but also in improving existing drugs; in designing new forms of
drugs; and in giving the basis of therapeutic applications.
Classical pharmacology, concerning the action of drugs at
integrated levels, does not necessarily give sufficient information
as to the mechanism of action of drugs. A variety of sophisticated
concepts utilizing the methods of physics, chemistry, biophysics,
biochemistry, and physiology must be synthesized to understand the
mechanism of action. Only since the last decade, however, have
these techniques been fully applied to pharma cological
investigations. It is of utmost importance to realize that a new
dimension of pharmacological research has indeed emerged as a
result of such a multidisciplinary approach; this approach is
encompassed in general and cellular pharmacology. Such recent
studies of drug actions have led to a number of important findings.
Certain chemicals and drugs were found to possess highly specific
actions on cellular functions, so that they are widely being used
as powerful tools for the study of a variety of physiological and
pharmacological prob lems. Our knowledge of the cellular mechanisms
of drug action has provided the basis for interpreting the systemic
effects of the drugs and insight into the molecular mechanism
involved.
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