Primary cultures of bone cells and skin fibroblasts were examined for their Ca++ content, intracellular distribution and Ca++ fluxes. Kinetic analysis of 45Ca++ efflux curves indicated the presence of three exchangeable Ca++ compartments which turned over at different rates: a "very fast turnover" (S1), a "fast turnover" (S2, and a "slow turnover" Ca++ pool (S3). S1 was taken to represent extracellular membrane-bound Ca++, S2 represented cytosolic Ca++, and S3 was taken to represent Ca++ sequestered in some intracellular organelles, probably the mitochondria. Bone cells contained about twice the amount of Ca++ as compared with cultured fibroblasts. Most of this extra Ca++ was localized in the "slow turnover" intracellular Ca++ pool (S3). Serum activation caused the following changes in the amount, distribution, and fluxes of Ca++: (1) In both types of cells serum caused an increase in the amount of Ca++ in the "very fast turnover" Ca++ pool, and an increase in the rate constant of 45Ca++ efflux from this pool, indicating a decrease in the strength of Ca++ binding to ligands on cell membranes. (2) In fibroblasts, serum activation also caused a marked decrease in the content of Ca++ in the "slow turnover" Ca++ pool (S3), an increase in the rates of Ca++ efflux from the cells to the medium, and from S3 to S2, as well as a decrease in the rate of influx into S3. (3) In bone cells the amount of Ca++ in S3 remained high in "serum activated" cells, the rate of efflux from S3 to S2 increased, and the rate of influx into S3 also increased. The rate of efflux from the cells to the medium did not change. The results suggest specific properties of bone cells with regard to cell Ca++ presumably connected with their differentiation. Following serum activation we investigated the time course of changes in the amount of exchangeable Ca++ in bone cells and fibroblasts, in parallel with measurements of 3H-thymidine incorporation and cell numbers. Serum activation caused a rapid decrease in the content of cell Ca++ which was followed by a biphasic increase lasting until cell division.

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