PMID: 9527528Apr 4, 1998Paper

Vascular smooth muscle, a multiply feedback-coupled system of high versatility, modulation and cell-signaling variability

International Journal of Microcirculation, Clinical and Experimental
G SiegelH W Hofer

Abstract

Under normal conditions, the various vascular regulatory effector influences are interwoven in a dynamic, and not a static, circulatory system. The reaction of a smooth muscle cell is thus reflected only incompletely by the stationary activation curve 'developed tension versus membrane potential'. The missing time domain in this relationship is a reflection of our as yet limited understanding of the system's behavior in space and time. It should be emphasized that the rhythmogenic properties of vascular smooth muscle are closely coupled to a functioning circulation. The electrical and mechanical oscillations, which can be traced back to rhythmic activity of the active, electrogenic Na+/K+ pump, could originate in the allosteric qualities of the enzyme phosphofructokinase (PFK). Thus, PFK represents a rhythmogenic enzyme which may serve as an example of the connection between the biological properties on a molecular level and the spatiotemporal system's behavior. The cardiovascular system and its rhythmicity may be dominated by only a few control points, one of which is distinguished by the viscoelastic properties of a blood flow sensor macromolecule. Therefore, the three prominent control points - PFK, (Na+ + K+)-ATPase and flo...Continue Reading

Citations

Dec 2, 1999·Nature·S DanøF Hynne
Jun 10, 2005·The FEBS Journal·Mads F MadsenPreben G Sørensen
Sep 14, 1999·The American Journal of Physiology·D ParthimosT M Griffith
Oct 30, 1998·Journal of Colloid and Interface Science·M Malmsten

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