Molecular aspects of arterial smooth muscle contraction: focus on Rho |
| |
Authors: | Hilgers Rob H P Webb R Clinton |
| |
Institution: | Department of Physiology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, GA 30912-3000, USA. cwebb@mail.mcg.edu |
| |
Abstract: | The vascular smooth muscle cell is a highly specialized cell whose primary function is contraction and relaxation. It expresses a variety of contractile proteins, ion channels, and signalling molecules that regulate contraction. Upon contraction, vascular smooth muscle cells shorten, thereby decreasing the diameter of a blood vessel to regulate the blood flow and pressure. Contractile activity in vascular smooth muscle cells is initiated by a Ca(2+)-calmodulin interaction to stimulate phosphorylation of the light chain of myosin. Ca(2+)-sensitization of the contractile proteins is signaled by the RhoA/Rho-kinase pathway to inhibit the dephosphorylation of the light chain by myosin phosphatase, thereby maintaining force. Removal of Ca(2+) from the cytosol and stimulation of myoson phosphatase initiate the relaxation of vascular smooth muscle. |
| |
Keywords: | |
本文献已被 PubMed 等数据库收录! |
|