Mitochondria are key determinants of cellular health. However, the functional role of
mitochondria varies from cell to cell depending on the relative demands for energy …

Vascular tone of resistance arteries and arterioles determines peripheral vascular
resistance, contributing to the regulation of blood pressure and blood flow to, and within the …

It has been known for more than 60 years, and suspected for over 100, that alveolar hypoxia
causes pulmonary vasoconstriction by means of mechanisms local to the lung. For the last …

Ryanodine receptors (RyRs) are located in the sarcoplasmic/endoplasmic reticulum
membrane and are responsible for the release of Ca2+ from intracellular stores during …

Smooth muscle cells in the walls of many organs are vital for most bodily functions, and their
abnormalities contribute to a range of diseases. Although based on a sliding-filament …

Calcium ions are ubiquitous and versatile signaling molecules, capable of decoding a
variety of extracellular stimuli (hormones, neurotransmitters, growth factors, etc.) into …

Work performed with differentiated contractile smooth muscle tissue over the last two
decades has made clear that covalent modification of myosin by phosphorylation of the 20 …

The ryanodine receptor (RyR) is a high-conductance Ca2+ channel of the sarcoplasmic
reticulum in muscle and of the endoplasmic reticulum in other cells. In striated muscle fibers …

Smooth muscle (SM) is essential to all aspects of human physiology and, therefore, key to
the maintenance of life. Ion channels expressed within SM cells regulate the membrane …

Abstract Calcium (Ca 2+) plays a central role in excitation, contraction, transcription, and
proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMs). Precise regulation of intracellular Ca …