The molecular mechanisms underlying increased arterial tone during hypertension are unclear. In vascular smooth muscle, localized Ca2+ release events through ryanodine-sensitive channels located in the sarcoplasmic reticulum (Ca2+ sparks) activate large-conductance, Ca2+-sensitive K+ (BK) channels. Ca2+ sparks and BK channels provide a negative feedback mechanism that hyperpolarizes smooth musc...

The vasoactive peptide bradykinin (BK) has been implicated in the pathophysiology of a number of vascular wall abnormalities, but the cellular mechanisms by which BK generates second messengers that alter vascular function are as yet undefined. Exposure of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) to BK (10-7 M) produced a rapid and transient rise in intracellular calcium, which preceded an increase ...

Inflammation plays a key role in the development of proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR). This study aimed to detect the effects of bradykinin (BK) on retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells, especially regarding inflammation and collagen formation, and to investigate the possible pathway, including the receptors and downstream molecules. We found that BK induced an increase in Ca2+ and the lev...

Large-conductance, calcium-activated-K(+) (BK) channels are widely distributed throughout the nervous system, where they regulate action potential duration and firing frequency, along with presynaptic neurotransmitter release. Our recent efforts to identify chaperones that target neuronal ion channels have revealed cysteine string protein (CSPα) as a key regulator of BK channel expression and c...

Inhibitors of angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) are very efficacious in the potentiation of the actions of bradykinin (BK) and are able to provoke a B(2) receptor-mediated vasodilation even after desensitization of this receptor. Because this activity cannot be easily explained only by an inhibition of kinin degradation, direct interactions of ACE inhibitors with the B(2) receptor or its si...

Hemorrhagic cystitis is a common complication in allogeneic bone marrow transplant recipients [1]. The association of BK virus cystitis and allogeneic bone marrow transplant was first described two decades ago [2]. The incidence of hemorrhagic cystitis in allogeneic bone marrow transplant patients is reported up to 70%, while BK viruria after allogeneic bone marrow transplant is detected in 50 ...

Stimulation of cardiac sympathetic afferents during myocardial ischemia with metabolites such as bradykinin (BK) evokes sympathoexcitatory reflex responses and activates neurons in the external lateral parabrachial nucleus (elPBN). The present study tested the hypothesis that this region in the pons processes sympathoexcitatory cardiac reflexes through an ionotropic glutamate receptor mechanism...

The bradykinin (BK) B1 receptor (B1R) is a peculiar G protein coupled receptor that is strongly regulated to the point of being inducible in immunopathology. Limited clinical evidence suggests that its expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells is a biomarker of active inflammatory states. In an effort to develop a novel imaging/diagnostic tool, we report the rational design and testing o...

In this appendix we complete the results of Chapter 10 concerning the decomposition of tensor space under the action of the orthogonal group or the symplectic group. Following ideas of Weyl [7], we decompose the full tensor space into spaces of partially harmonic tensors. This is the full tensor generalization of the decompositions of the algebras of symmetric tensors and skew-symmetric tensors...

BK viras is a human polyoma viras. It is acquired in early childhood and remains life-long latent in the genitourinary system. BK virus replication is more common in receiving immunosuppressive therapy receiving patients and transplant patients. BK virus could cause hemorrhagic cystitis in patients with allogeneic stem cell transplantation. Hemorrhagic cystitis is a serious complication of hema...