This study was designed to elucidate high-K(+)induced response of circular and longitudinal smooth muscle from human gastric corpus using isometric contraction. Contraction from circular and longitudinal muscle stripes of gastric corpus greater curvature and lesser curvature were compared. Circular smooth muscle from corpus greater curvature showed high K(+) (50 mM)-induced tonic contraction. O...

Calcium-activated chloride channels (CaCC) with similar hallmark features are present in many cell types and mediate important physiological functions including epithelial secretion, sensory signal transduction, and smooth muscle contraction. Having identified TMEM16A of the transmembrane proteins with unknown function (TMEM) 16 family as a CaCC subunit, we have developed antibodies specific fo...

A growing body of data supports a view of the actin cytoskeleton of smooth muscle cells as a dynamic structure that plays an integral role in regulating the development of mechanical tension and the material properties of smooth muscle tissues. The increase in the proportion of filamentous actin that occurs in response to the stimulation of smooth muscle cells and the essential role of stimulus...

background: the vascular function of angiotensin ii-type-2 receptors in adults is controversial. we sought their location and function in mouse aortic rings at young and old mice. materials and methods: male c57bl mice (aged 4 and 14 months) were killed by co2. the descending thoracic aorta was cleaned and dissected into rings. aortic rings were mounted in krebs’ solution at 37 °c and then setu...

Mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases signal to proteins that could modify smooth muscle contraction. Caldesmon is a substrate for extracellular signal-related kinases (ERK) and p38 MAP kinases in vitro and has been suggested to modulate actin-myosin interaction and contraction. Heat shock protein 27 (HSP27) is downstream of p38 MAP kinases presumably participating in the sustained phase of m...

In that rainy afternoon, the young researcher and his supervisor were preparing their daily experiment. On its course, there was a remaining solution containing Verapamil, a classical L-type CCB. In a relapse, the young researcher decided to add this solution (containing CCB) in the isolated smooth muscle neurogenic contraction system. There was no apparent reason for it! The smooth muscle was ...

Reorganization of the cytoskeleton and association of contractile proteins are important steps in modulating smooth muscle contraction. Heat shock protein (HSP) 27 has significant effects on actin cytoskeletal reorganization during smooth muscle contraction. We investigated the role of phosphorylated HSP27 in modulating acetylcholine-induced sustained contraction of smooth muscle cells from the...

levels, leading to activation of myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) in smooth muscle and, as a result, MLC phosphorylation. This action is followed immediately by a decrease in MLC phosphatase (MLCP) activity and a resultant increase in MLC20 phosphorylation, which induces further contraction, that is Ca sensitization. Multiple second messengers/signaling pathways including the RhoA/Rho-associate...

We investigated the effect of paraoxon on vascular contractility using organ baths in thoracic aortic rings of rabbits and examined the effect of paraoxon on calcium homeostasis using a whole-cell patch-clamp technique in isolated aortic smooth muscle cells of rabbits. The findings show that administration of paraoxon (30 microM) attenuated thoracic aorta contraction induced by phenylephrine (1...

Patil, Suresh B., Mercy D. Pawar, and Khalil N. Bitar. Phosphorylated HSP27 essential for acetylcholine-induced association of RhoA with PKC . Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol 286: G635–G644, 2004. First published October 30, 2003; 10.1152/ ajpgi.00261.2003.—Reorganization of the cytoskeleton and association of contractile proteins are important steps in modulating smooth muscle contract...