Agonist stimulation of exocrine cells leads to the generation of intracellular Ca2+ signals
driven by inositol 1, 4, 5-trisphosphate receptors (IP3Rs) that rapidly become global due to
propagation throughout the cell. In many types of excitable cells the intracellular Ca2+ signal
is propagated by a mechanism of Ca2+-induced Ca2+ release (CICR), mediated by
ryanodine receptors (RyRs). Expression of RyRs in salivary gland cells has been
demonstrated immunocytochemically although their functional role is not clear. We used …