Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Is relaxin a calcium transporter/buffer?

Phillip A Fields1

  • 1Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL 36688, USA. pfields@usouthal.edu

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
|June 16, 2005
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Potential binding sites for relaxin in pregnant rabbits.

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences·2005
Same author

Immunohistochemical localization of relaxin-like factor/insulin-like peptide-3 in the bovine corpus luteum.

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences·2005
See all related articles

Relaxin significantly reduces calcium availability to smooth muscle contractile elements. This study investigated relaxin’s interaction with calcium ions (Ca2+), revealing it acts as a calcium buffer, not a transporter.

Area of Science:

  • Reproductive biology
  • Endocrinology
  • Smooth muscle physiology

Background:

  • Relaxin is known to inhibit smooth muscle contractions.
  • The mechanism involves making calcium ions (Ca2+) unavailable to contractile elements.
  • The precise role of relaxin in calcium regulation remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the interaction between relaxin and calcium ions (Ca2+).
  • To determine if relaxin functions as a calcium transporter or buffer.
  • To elucidate the mechanism by which relaxin inhibits smooth muscle activity.

Main Methods:

  • Isolated rat uterus sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) incubated with radioactive calcium-45 (45Ca) in the presence and absence of porcine relaxin.
  • Sephadex G-25 column chromatography to analyze the elution of 45Ca with relaxin.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Immunoprecipitation assays using anti-relaxin antibodies to assess 45Ca binding.

    • Main Results:

    • Relaxin significantly reduced 45Ca association with SR compared to controls.
    • A substantial peak of 45Ca eluted with relaxin in gel filtration chromatography.
    • Antibodies dissociated 45Ca from relaxin, indicating weak binding.

    Conclusions:

    • Relaxin acts as a calcium buffer by sequestering Ca2+ ions.
    • The findings suggest relaxin's inhibitory effect on smooth muscle is mediated by modulating intracellular calcium availability.
    • Relaxin is unlikely to be a calcium transporter due to the weak and dissociable nature of Ca2+ binding.