When sparks get old

Sparks are transient local elevations of Ca ion concentration observed in different types of muscle cells. Such local Ca(2+) signals can be provoked in skeletal muscle cells by altering the osmotic pressure of the extracellular solution. In this issue, Weisleder et al. (see p. 639) demonstrate that the Ca(2+) response to osmotic stress is substantially altered in aged muscle. The study presents evidence for a link between this finding and a reduced expression of mitsugumin 29 (MG29), a small membrane protein of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR).