In excitable cells such as skeletal and cardiac myocytes excitation-contraction coupling is an important intermediate step between initiation of the action potential and induction of contraction. This process is predominantly controlled by Ca(2+) release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum via the ryanodine receptor. This very large protein (MW 560 kDa) exists as a homotetramer (~2.2 MDa) and is expressed in three isoforms: RyR1, expressed in skeletal muscle; RyR2, expressed in cardiac muscle; and RyR3, expressed in various cells at lower levels than the other isoforms.