IT is well established that an increase in the intracellular concentration of ionized calcium after excitation in the membrane is the key factor for initiation of contraction of various types of ...

Researchers were able to control heart muscle function in a new way after discovering the previously unknown role of two enzymes in heart muscle contraction. Although in the early stages, the research ...

The contractile responses of esophageal smooth muscle (SM) induced by platelet-activating factor (PAF) involve the activation of L-type voltage-dependent calcium channels (L-type VDCCs), ...

A new molecular pathway has been identified that is critical for maintaining the smooth muscle tone that allows the passage of materials through the digestive system. Researchers at UMass Medical ...

The ability to modify the intracellular concentrations of divalent calcium ions is vital to normal cell functioning. In the cells of the cardiac muscle, calcium ions play a crucial role in coupling ...

IT is believed that muscle contracts or relaxes depending on the concentration of calcium in the sarcoplasm: when the concentration rises to some required level the muscle contracts; when it falls ...

Researchers engineered mice with a mutation (E3896A) in the RyR1 calcium-binding site, eliminating calcium-induced calcium release (CICR) without affecting depolarization-induced calcium release. The ...

Ferulic acid suppresses ileal smooth muscle contraction by inhibiting calcium ion influx through voltage-dependent calcium channels. This action may help prevent or treat excessive intestinal motility ...