Abstract
In regulating the contraction of smooth muscle cells, changes in the cytosolic concentrations of Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) play a primary role as the initiation of contraction is associated with Ca2+ binding to calmodulin with the subsequent activation of myosin light chain kinase. During the contraction induced by receptor-mediated stimulation, however, there are temporal changes in the relationship between [Ca2+]i and the developed tension. Furthermore, the receptor-mediated stimulation also produces a proportionately greater tension for a given change in [Ca2+]i than does K+ depolarization. Therefore, it is important to measure [Ca2+]i and tension simultaneously in order to determine the molecular and cellular mechanisms in both the regulation of contraction and relaxation of smooth muscle. For this purpose, front-surface fluorimetry of fura-2, a [Ca2+]i indicator dye (1), has been performed on small smooth muscle strips (2,3).
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© 2006 Humana Press Inc.
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Kanaide, H. (2006). Measurement of [Ca2+]i in Smooth Muscle Strips Using Front-Surface Fluorimetry. In: Lambert, D.G. (eds) Calcium Signaling Protocols. Methods in Molecular Biology™, vol 312. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1385/1-59259-949-4:251
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1385/1-59259-949-4:251
Publisher Name: Humana Press
Print ISBN: 978-1-58829-442-5
Online ISBN: 978-1-59259-949-3
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