Caldesmon content of mammalian smooth muscles

In the present study we have used a quantitative immunoblotting method to measure the caldesmon content of a variety of smooth muscles with distinctly different contractile phenotypes. Two tonic vascular smooth muscles and several phasic smooth muscles were examined. The caldesmon, actin and myosin contents of each muscle type were measured. Smooth muscle from large arteries (i.e. bovine aorta and porcine carotid artery) had the lowest caldesmon content and phasic muscles (e.g. rat uterus and guinea pig taenia coli) had the highest. The molar ratio of monomeric caldesmon to monomeric actin was 1:205 for the aorta and carotid artery versus 1:22-28 for the taenia coli and uterus. The molar ratio of caldesmon to monomeric myosin heavy chain was 1:9 for the aorta and carotid versus 1:2 for the uterus and taenia coli. The caldesmon contents of canine trachealis and rabbit ileum were intermediate between these extremes. Evidence was found for the presence of both tissue- and species-specific caldesmon isoforms. The relatively high caldesmon content in rat uterus and guinea pig taenia coli suggests the possibility that the contractile phenotype associated with phasic smooth muscles may be dependent on the presence of caldesmon.