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 Concept Videos

Structure and Organization of Smooth Muscles01:13

Structure and Organization of Smooth Muscles

5.9K
Smooth muscle tissue is a type of muscle tissue that can be found lining various vital organs in the human body, including the lungs, blood vessels, digestive tract, and respiratory tract. This type of tissue is responsible for regulating the movements of these organs, playing crucial roles in the functioning of various systems, including the vascular, digestive, respiratory, and urinary systems.
Structure of smooth muscle cell
Smooth muscle cells are spindle-shaped with tapering ends and a...
5.9K
The Role of Actin and Myosin in Non-muscle Cells01:10

The Role of Actin and Myosin in Non-muscle Cells

3.6K
Actin and myosin or actomyosin filaments also play a significant role in cells other than those involved in muscle contraction (which occurs within the sarcomere of muscle cells). The mechanism of non-muscle cell contractile bundles was first observed in Dictyostelium and Acanthamoeba. In non-muscle cells, two bundles are commonly found: stress fibers and actomyosin adherence belts. These contractile bundles are smaller and less organized than the ones found in muscle cells. They  are held...
3.6K
Introduction to Actin01:26

Introduction to Actin

5.2K
Actin is a highly conserved cytoskeletal protein found abundantly in eukaryotic cells. It constitutes 10% weight of the total cellular protein in muscle cells, while in non-muscle cells, it is lower and makes up around 1–5 percent of the total cell protein. Actin found in the unicellular amoebae and complex multicellular animals is around 80% similar, demonstrating their conservation over a billion years of evolution.  Actin coding genes are conserved within species and across...
5.2K
Smooth Muscle Contraction01:25

Smooth Muscle Contraction

3.3K
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...
3.3K
Actin Polymerization and Cell Motility01:13

Actin Polymerization and Cell Motility

5.3K
Actin is a family of globular proteins that are highly abundant in eukaryotic cells. It makes up approximately 1-5% of total cell protein concentration. Actin monomers polymerize to form a complex network of polarized filaments, the actin cytoskeleton, that plays a crucial role in many cellular processes, including cell motility, division, endocytosis, and metastasis of cancer cells.
Actin cytoskeleton dynamics can produce pushing, pulling, and resistance forces that help the cell to migrate....
5.3K
Cytoskeletal Coordination in Cell Migration01:32

Cytoskeletal Coordination in Cell Migration

4.8K
A migrating cell changes its shape during the cyclic events of attachment and detachment from the substratum and repositions the cell organelles correspondingly. These complex events are orchestrated by the dynamic cytoskeletal network comprising actin filaments, intermediate filaments, and microtubules. Cytoskeletal crosstalk — the direct and indirect communication between the different components — is crucial for this coordination. Direct communication involves various linker...
4.8K

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

XGBoost Model With CMR Features for Prognostic Assessment in Patients With ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction.

JACC. Asia·2026
Same author

Adherence to Survivorship Care Visits in Patients With Cervical Cancer in Botswana.

JCO global oncology·2026
Same author

Neutralization of Reactive Oxygen Species with Cobinamide Augments Aortic Dissections and Rupture in BAPN-Administered Mice.

American journal of physiology. Heart and circulatory physiology·2026
Same author

Surgical explantation of transcatheter heart valves: A single institution experience.

JTCVS structural and endovascular·2026
Same author

10-Year Randomized Outcomes of Transcatheter or Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement in Intermediate-Risk Aortic Stenosis.

Journal of the American College of Cardiology·2026
Same author

Cardiovascular <i>LRP1</i> expression varies by anatomical site, with selective age- and sex- associated changes in human tissue datasets.

American journal of physiology. Heart and circulatory physiology·2026

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 7, 2025

Isolation of Primary Patient-specific Aortic Smooth Muscle Cells and Semiquantitative Real-time Contraction Measurements In Vitro
08:28

Isolation of Primary Patient-specific Aortic Smooth Muscle Cells and Semiquantitative Real-time Contraction Measurements In Vitro

Published on: February 15, 2022

3.8K

Nuclear Smooth Muscle α-actin in Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Differentiation.

Callie S Kwartler1, Albert J Pedroza2, Anita Kaw1

  • 1Division of Medical Genetics, Department of Internal Medicine, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030.

Research Square
|March 13, 2023
PubMed
Summary

Pathogenic variants in ACTA2, encoding smooth muscle alpha-actin (αSMA), cause vascular diseases. Disruptions at R179 decrease nuclear αSMA, impairing smooth muscle cell differentiation and leading to childhood-onset vascular conditions.

More Related Videos

Culturing and Manipulation of O9-1 Neural Crest Cells
08:32

Culturing and Manipulation of O9-1 Neural Crest Cells

Published on: October 9, 2018

10.2K
Quantitative Analysis of Cellular Composition in Advanced Atherosclerotic Lesions of Smooth Muscle Cell Lineage-Tracing Mice
09:06

Quantitative Analysis of Cellular Composition in Advanced Atherosclerotic Lesions of Smooth Muscle Cell Lineage-Tracing Mice

Published on: February 20, 2019

8.4K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Aug 7, 2025

Isolation of Primary Patient-specific Aortic Smooth Muscle Cells and Semiquantitative Real-time Contraction Measurements In Vitro
08:28

Isolation of Primary Patient-specific Aortic Smooth Muscle Cells and Semiquantitative Real-time Contraction Measurements In Vitro

Published on: February 15, 2022

3.8K
Culturing and Manipulation of O9-1 Neural Crest Cells
08:32

Culturing and Manipulation of O9-1 Neural Crest Cells

Published on: October 9, 2018

10.2K
Quantitative Analysis of Cellular Composition in Advanced Atherosclerotic Lesions of Smooth Muscle Cell Lineage-Tracing Mice
09:06

Quantitative Analysis of Cellular Composition in Advanced Atherosclerotic Lesions of Smooth Muscle Cell Lineage-Tracing Mice

Published on: February 20, 2019

8.4K

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular Biology
  • Genetics
  • Cell Biology

Background:

  • Missense variants in ACTA2 predispose to thoracic aortic disease.
  • Specific variants affecting arginine 179 (R179) cause Smooth Muscle Dysfunction Syndrome (SMDS), a childhood-onset vascular disorder.

Approach:

  • Investigated the nuclear localization and function of smooth muscle alpha-actin (αSMA) in wildtype and mutant forms.
  • Utilized a smooth muscle cell-specific conditional knockin mouse model (Acta2) and patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells.
  • Performed in vitro and in vivo differentiation studies, chromatin accessibility assays, and single-cell transcriptomic analysis.

Key Points:

  • Wildtype αSMA localizes to the nucleus in smooth muscle cells (SMCs), enriching during differentiation and associating with chromatin remodeling complexes.
  • The ACTA2 p.R179 variant significantly reduces nuclear localization of αSMA.
  • SMCs from Acta2 knockin mice and patient iPSCs exhibit impaired differentiation and altered chromatin accessibility, with increased SMC plasticity observed in patient aortic tissue.

Conclusions:

  • Nuclear αSMA plays a critical role in smooth muscle cell differentiation.
  • Loss of nuclear αSMA function due to ACTA2 p.R179 variants contributes to the pathogenesis of Smooth Muscle Dysfunction Syndrome and related vascular diseases.