The smooth muscle cell directly drives the contraction of the vascular wall and hence
regulates the size of the blood vessel lumen. We review here the current understanding of …

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 …

Gastrointestinal motility results from coordinated contractions of the tunica muscularis, the
muscular layers of the alimentary canal. Throughout most of the gastrointestinal tract …

The L-type Cav1. 2 calcium channel is present throughout the animal kingdom and is
essential for some aspects of CNS function, cardiac and smooth muscle contractility …

The calcium ion (Ca2+) is the simplest and most versatile intracellular messenger known.
The discovery of Ca2+ sparks and a related family of elementary Ca2+ signaling events has …

The gastrointestinal (GI) tract displays multiple motor patterns that move nutrients and
wastes through the body. Smooth muscle cells (SMCs) provide the forces necessary for GI …

There is an unmet need in severe asthma where approximately 40% of patients exhibit poor
β-agonist responsiveness, suffer daily symptoms and show frequent exacerbations …

Vascular smooth muscle (VSM) cells, endothelial cells (EC), and pericytes that form the
walls of vessels in the microcirculation express a diverse array of ion channels that play an …

Changes in intracellular Ca2+ are central to the function of smooth muscle, which lines the
walls of all hollow organs. These changes take a variety of forms, from sustained, cell-wide …

Abstract Calcium (Ca 2+) is a highly versatile second messenger that controls vascular
smooth muscle cell (VSMC) contraction, proliferation, and migration. By means of Ca 2+ …