In Situ Calcium Signaling
: Controlled uterine smooth muscle activity is essential for our reproductive health. While we understand reasonably well the steps that produce contraction following a rise in intracellular [Ca], the mechanism controlling excitability and thus the rise of Ca, is less well understood. Here we exami...
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Published in | Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences Vol. 1101; no. 1; pp. 85 - 96 |
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Main Authors | , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
Malden, USA
Blackwell Publishing Inc
01.04.2007
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Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | : Controlled uterine smooth muscle activity is essential for our reproductive health. While we understand reasonably well the steps that produce contraction following a rise in intracellular [Ca], the mechanism controlling excitability and thus the rise of Ca, is less well understood. Here we examine the role of the internal Ca sore, the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR), and its relation to surface membrane ion channels. We show that despite having a well‐developed SR, the rat uterus does not produce the elemental and local Ca signals, known as Ca sparks. This in turn has consequences for excitability, as the negative feedback loop between these Ca signals and Ca‐activated K (BK) channels on the surface membrane is lost. This may be important for producing the powerful long‐lasting contractions of the uterus required during labor. |
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Bibliography: | ark:/67375/WNG-H147XGT7-J istex:954166EA61AFDD4FB53DD0809B592FE20986567E ArticleID:NYAS2 ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 |
ISSN: | 0077-8923 1749-6632 1930-6547 |
DOI: | 10.1196/annals.1389.002 |