Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 14, 2026

Calcification of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells and Imaging of Aortic Calcification and Inflammation
08:43

Calcification of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells and Imaging of Aortic Calcification and Inflammation

Published on: May 31, 2016

Calcium dynamics in vascular smooth muscle

Gregory C Amberg1, Manuel F Navedo

  • 1Vascular Physiology Research Group, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA. Gregory.Amberg@colostate.edu

Microcirculation (New York, N.Y. : 1994)
|February 7, 2013
PubMed

Keywords:
Calcium signalingVascular physiologySmooth muscle functionCellular signaling

More Related Videos

A Semi-Automated and Reproducible Biological-Based Method to Quantify Calcium Deposition In Vitro11:30

A Semi-Automated and Reproducible Biological-Based Method to Quantify Calcium Deposition In Vitro

Published on: June 2, 2022

Focal Ca2+ Transient Detection in Smooth Muscle17:41

Focal Ca2+ Transient Detection in Smooth Muscle

Published on: June 29, 2009

Related Concept Videos

Antihypertensive Drugs: Action of Calcium Channel Blockers01:18

Antihypertensive Drugs: Action of Calcium Channel Blockers

Calcium ions are essential to contract smooth muscle cells in blood vessels. They enter these cells through voltage-dependent calcium channels, specifically L-type calcium channels in the cell membrane. These L-type calcium channels are integral to the excitation-contraction coupling process in smooth muscle. When a stimulus is received by smooth muscle cells, their membrane depolarizes. This alteration in membrane potential instigates the opening of L-type calcium channels. As a result,...
Smooth Muscle Contraction01:25

Smooth Muscle Contraction

Smooth muscle contraction is a complex process vital for various bodily functions, from maintaining blood vessel tension to facilitating the movement of food through the digestive tract. Unlike striated muscles, smooth muscle contraction begins more slowly and lasts longer.
The onset of contraction is triggered by an increase in calcium ions within the sarcoplasm, similar to the process in striated muscle. However, smooth muscles have a relatively smaller reservoir of the sarcoplasmic...
Feedback Regulation of Calcium Concentration01:27

Feedback Regulation of Calcium Concentration

Calcium is an essential signaling molecule required for various cellular functions. Calcium pumps and ion channels on cell and organellar membranes, such as those on the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), regulate calcium concentrations inside the cell. They remain closed, keeping the cytosolic calcium levels low at a resting state.
Various transmembrane receptors, such as G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), elicit a response to extracellular signals by increasing cytosolic calcium. Activated GPCRs...
Skeleton and Calcium Homeostasis01:21

Skeleton and Calcium Homeostasis

Calcium is not only the most abundant mineral in bone but also the most abundant mineral in the human body. Calcium ions are needed for bone mineralization, tooth health, heart rate regulation and strength of contraction, blood coagulation, the contraction of smooth and skeletal muscle cells, and the regulation of nerve impulse conduction. The average calcium level in the blood is about 10 mg/dL. When the body cannot maintain this level, a person will experience hypo or hypercalcemia.
Calmodulin-dependent Signaling01:16

Calmodulin-dependent Signaling

Calmodulin (CaM) is a calcium-binding protein in eukaryotes that controls various calcium-regulated cellular processes. It has four calcium-binding sites that bind calcium to form the calcium-calmodulin ( Ca2+-CaM) complex. GPCR stimulation increases the calcium levels in the cells that bind to CaM and induces a conformational change.
The Ca2+-CaM complex does not have enzymatic activity by itself. Instead, the complex binds downstream target proteins, including membrane proteins or enzymes,...
Vascular Spasm01:16

Vascular Spasm

The vascular phase, also known as vasospasm, is the initial stage of hemostasis, crucial for preventing excessive bleeding when a blood vessel is injured. After a vessel is cut, nerves in the damaged area trigger pain and other sensory impulses. Simultaneously, the smooth muscles in the vessel wall contract, resulting in a vascular spasm. This contraction reduces the vessel's diameter at the injury site, slowing or stopping blood loss through the vessel wall. Vascular spasms typically last for...