Vinculin localizes to membrane adhesion junctions in smooth muscle tissues, where its head domain binds to talin and its tail domain binds to filamentous actin, thus linking actin filaments to the extracellular matrix. Vinculin can assume a closed conformation, in which the head and tail domains bind to each other and mask the binding sites for actin and talin, and an open activated conformatio...

Actin polymerization as part of the normal smooth muscle response to various stimuli has been reported. The actin dynamics are believed to be necessary for cytoskeletal remodeling in smooth muscle in its adaptation to external stress and strain and for maintenance of optimal contractility. We have shown in our previous studies in airway smooth muscle that myosins polymerized in response to cont...

TEF and RTEF-1 Binding to the Smooth Muscle -Actin Gene Distinguishes Myofibroblasts and Adult Smooth Muscle Cells Adult smooth muscle cells are highly plastic and can exhibit a range of phenotypes in response to different environmental and developmental cues. Their phenotypes can range from quiescent highly contractile cells with high levels of characteristic contractile protein isoforms, to h...

Plasticity of smooth muscle -actin gene expression in fibroblasts and vascular smooth muscle cells is mediated by opposing effects of transcriptional activators and repressors. Among these factors, three singlestranded DNA-binding proteins, Pur , Pur , and MSY1, have been implicated as coregulators of a cryptic 5 enhancer module. In this study, a molecular analysis of Pur , the least well chara...

Rho family small GTPases (Rho, Rac, and Cdc42) play an important role in cell motility, adhesion, and cell division by signaling reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton. Here, we report an isoactin-specific, Rho GTPase-dependent signaling cascade in cells simultaneously expressing smooth muscle and nonmuscle actin isoforms. We transfected primary cultures of microvascular pericytes, cells rela...

Ibitayo, Adenike I., Jeanette Sladick, Sony Tuteja, Otto Louis-Jacques, Hirotaka Yamada, Guy Groblewski, Michael Welsh, and Khalil N. Bitar. HSP27 in signal transduction and association with contractile proteins in smooth muscle cells. Am. J. Physiol. 277 (Gastrointest. Liver Physiol. 40): G445–G454, 1999.—Sustained smooth muscle contraction is mediated by protein kinase C (PKC) through a signa...

Smooth muscle contractile activity is a major regulator of function of the vascular system, respiratory system, gastrointestinal system and the genitourinary systems. Malfunction of contractility in these systems leads to a host of clinical disorders, and yet, we still have major gaps in our understanding of the molecular mechanisms by which contractility of the differentiated smooth muscle cel...

Although the etiology of varicose veins remains unknown, recent studies have focused on endothelial cell integrity and function because the endothelium regulates vessel tone and synthesizes many pro- and anti-inflammatory factors. The aim of this study was to investigate the evidence involving the endothelium in the development of varicose vein disease. In addition, tissue remodeling was invest...

this is a report of a penile fibrosarcoma in a two-year-old crossbred holstein bull. the ulcerated tumormass with dimensions of 7 × 9 × 6.5 cm, was enveloped the glans and body of the penis. it had a white-graycolor at cross section appearance. there was no metastatic evidence of regional lymph node enlargement.histopathologically, elongated spindle-shaped cells arranged densely in the interwov...