Abstract
We construct a model of calcium waves in a three-dimensional anatomically accurate parotid acinar cell, constructed from experimental data. Gradients of inositol trisphosphate receptor (IPR) density are imposed, with the IPR density being greater closer to the lumen, which has a branched structure, and inositol trisphosphate (IP(3)) is produced only at the basal membrane. We show (1) that IP(3) equilibrates so quickly across the cell that it can be assumed to be spatially homogeneous; (2) spatial separation of the sites of IP(3) action and IP(3) production does not preclude the formation of stable oscillatory Ca(2+) waves. However, these waves are not waves in the mathematical sense of a traveling wave with fixed profile. They result instead from a time delay between the Ca(2+) rise in the apical and basal regions; (3) the ryanodine receptors serve to reinforce the Ca(2+) wave, but are not necessary for the wave to exist; (4) a spatially independent model is not sufficient to study saliva secretion, although a one-dimensional model might be sufficient. Our results here form the first stages of the construction of a multiscale and multicellular model of saliva secretion in an entire acinus.