Calcium and Contractility: Smooth Muscle (Contemporary Biomedicine, 5)

In organizing the present volume, we had two intentions. The first was to present the best current understanding of the mechanisms of calcium mobilization during excitation­ contraction coupling of smooth muscle at a level suited to the needs of professionals interested in smooth muscle pharmacology and pathophysiology, while remaining appreciable by graduate and medical students. The second intention was to provide in­ sight into present-day controversies, as well as the latest ad­ vances achieved by researchers in this field. Thus, we have thor­ oughly discussed both the techniques and the concepts derived from their application. An attempt has also been made here to answer a number of profoundly important questions: What are the mechanisms and agents responsible for the control of contractility? What are the accompanying changes in the state of intracellular calcium ions and the mechanisms responsible for them? How does the regula­ tion of contractility occur directly at the level of the actomyosin activity? What role do gap junctions play in cell-to-cell coupling? What are the roles of cholinergic, adrenergic, peptidergic, and nonadrenergic noncholinergic interactions in calcium mobiliza­ tion in smooth muscle? What changes occur in hypertension? The impact of these recent techniques on future research is also reflected upon. Front Matter....Pages i-xx Structure of Smooth Muscle....Pages 1-36 Calcium Antagonists and Ionophores....Pages 37-60 Calcium Compartments and Mobilization During Contraction of Smooth Muscle....Pages 61-92 Mechanisms of Smooth Muscle Relaxation....Pages 93-117 Smooth Muscle Relaxants....Pages 119-141 Cell-to-Cell Communication in Smooth Muscle....Pages 143-173 Calcium Regulation of Smooth Muscle Actomyosin....Pages 175-190 Studies on Skinned Fiber Preparations....Pages 191-224 Smooth Muscle Subcellular Fractionation....Pages 225-244 Calcium-Handling Studies Using Isolated Smooth Muscle Membranes....Pages 245-269 Receptor Binding Studies on Smooth Muscle Subcellular Fractions....Pages 271-298 Calcium-Handling Defects and Smooth Muscle Pathophysiology....Pages 299-325 Adrenergic Interactions in Smooth Muscle Contractility....Pages 327-350 Cholinergic Interactions and Vascular Smooth Muscle Tone....Pages 351-383 Nonadrenergic, Noncholinergic (NANC) Neuronal Inhibitory Interactions with Smooth Muscle....Pages 385-426 Nonadrenergic, Noncholinergic (NANC) Neuronal Excitatory Interactions with Smooth Muscle....Pages 427-455 Peptide Calcium Interactions in Smooth Muscle....Pages 457-477 Back Matter....Pages 479-487