Next to changes in cytosolic [Ca(2+)], members of the Rho subfamily of small GTPases, in particular Rho and its effector Rho kinase, also known as ROK or ROCK, emerged as key regulators of smooth muscle function in health and disease. In this review, we will focus on the regulation of the contractile machinery by Rho/ROK signaling and its interaction with PKC and cyclic nucleotide signaling. We will briefly discuss the emerging evidence that remodeling of cortical actin is necessary for contraction.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1152/physiol.00023.2009 | DOI Listing |
Curr Top Med Chem
January 2025
Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, JSS College of Pharmacy, JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research (JSS AHER), Mysuru, Karnataka, India.
Background: Several chemical studies described the physiological efficacy of 1,4- dihydropyridines (DHPs). DHPs bind to specific sites on the α1 subunit of L-type calcium channels, where they demonstrate a more pronounced inhibition of Ca2+ influx in vascular smooth muscle compared to myocardial tissue. This selective inhibition is the basis for their preferential vasodilatory action on peripheral and coronary arteries, a characteristic that underlies their therapeutic utility in managing hypertension and angina.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiophys J
January 2025
Dept. of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 100 Institute Rd. Worcester, MA 01609. Electronic address:
Cells respond to hypo-osmotic stress by initial swelling followed by intracellular increases in the number of osmolytes and initiation of gene transcription that allow cells to adapt to the stress. Here, we have studied the genes that change expression under mild hypo-osmotic stress for 12 and 24 hours in rat cultured smooth muscle cells (WKO-3M22). We find shifts in the transcription of many genes, several of which are associated with circadian rhythm, such as per1, nr1d1, per2, dbp, and Ciart.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChin Med
January 2025
Aging and Metabolism Research Group, Korea Food Research Institute, Wanju‑gun, 55365, Republic of Korea.
Background: Magnolia kobus DC (MO), as a plant medicine, has been reported to have various physiological activities, including neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory, and anti-diabetic effects. However, vascular protective effects of MO remain incompletely understood. In this study, we evaluated the vascular protective effect of MO against ferroptosis in a carotid artery ligation (CAL)-induced neointimal hyperplasia mouse model and in aortic thoracic smooth muscle A7r5 cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Proteome Res
January 2025
Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, Max Rady College of Medicine, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg R3E0J9, Canada.
Oxylipins, diverse lipid mediators derived from fatty acids, play key roles in respiratory physiology, but the contribution of lung structural cells to this diverse profile is not well understood. This study aimed to characterize the oxylipin profiles of airway smooth muscle (ASM), lung fibroblasts (HLF), and epithelial (HBE) cells and define how they shift when they are exposed to stimuli related to contractility, fibrosis, and inflammation. Using HPLC-MS/MS, 162 oxylipins were measured in baseline media from cultured human ASM, HLF, and HBE cells as well as after stimulation with modulators of contractility and central regulators of fibrosis/inflammation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAlzheimers Dement
December 2024
Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
Background: Anti-amyloid-β (Aβ) immunotherapy trials have shown amyloid-related imaging abnormalities (ARIA) as the most common and serious adverse events linked to pathological changes in cerebral vasculature. Nevertheless, the mechanisms underlying how amyloid immunotherapy triggers vascular damage, increases vascular permeability, and results in microhemorrhages remains unclear. Notably, activation of perivascular macrophages and infiltration of peripheral immune cells have been implicated in regulating cerebrovascular damage.
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