Inward Rectifier Potassium Channels: Membrane Lipid-Dependent Mechanosensitive Gates in Brain Vascular Cells.

Cerebral arteries contain two primary and interacting cell types, smooth muscle (SMCs) and endothelial cells (ECs), which are each capable of sensing particular hemodynamic forces to set basal tone and brain perfusion. These biomechanical stimuli help confer tone within arterial networks upon which local neurovascular stimuli function. Tone development is intimately tied to arterial membrane potential (V ) and changes in intracellular [Ca] driven by voltage-gated Ca channels (VGCCs).

Genetic ablation of smooth muscle K2.1 is inconsequential to the function of mouse cerebral arteries.

Cerebral blood flow is a finely tuned process dependent on coordinated changes in arterial tone. These changes are strongly tied to smooth muscle membrane potential and inwardly rectifying K (K) channels are thought to be a key determinant. To elucidate the role of K2.

Remodelling of lace plant leaves: antioxidants and ROS are key regulators of programmed cell death.

Antioxidants and reactive oxygen species are integral for programmed cell death signaling during perforation formation in the lace plant ( Aponogeton madagascariensis ). The lace plant is an excellent model system for studying developmentally regulated programmed cell death (PCD). During early lace plant leaf development, PCD systematically deletes cells resulting in a perforated leaf morphology that is unique in planta.