Effects of metabolic inhibitors on the distribution of 45-Ca in subcellular fractions from pancreatic islets

It is well established that intracellular calcium buffering is of vital importance for the regulation of insulin release. The metabolic inhibitors, cyanide and N-ethylmaleimide, both decreased the 45-Ca content of a mitochondrial fraction isolated from glucose-stimulated pancreatic islets. We suggest that the main mechanism behind this decrease is an impaired uptake of the isotope, since cyanide had no effect on the 45-Ca wash-out from the mitochondrial fraction of preloaded islets.