Nardilysin in vascular smooth muscle cells controls blood pressure via the regulation of calcium dynamics
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Updated: Jun 28, 2025

Two-photon Imaging of Intracellular Ca2+ Handling and Nitric Oxide Production in Endothelial and Smooth Muscle Cells of an Isolated Rat Aorta
Published on: June 10, 2015
Mend Amar Batbaatar1, Takeshi Kinoshita2, Shinya Ikeda3
1Department of Pharmacology, Seta Tsukinowa-cho, Otsu, Shiga, 520-2192, Japan; Department of Pharmacology, School of Bio-Medicine, Mongolian National University of Medical Sciences, Ulaanbaatar, 14210, Mongolia.
Abstract:
Blood pressure is a crucial physiological parameter and its abnormalities can cause a variety of health problems. We have previously reported that mice with systemic deletion of nardilysin (NRDC), an M16 family metalloprotease, exhibit hypotension. In this study, we aimed to clarify the role of NRDC in vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) by generating VSMC-specific Nrdc knockout (VSMC-KO) mice. Our findings reveal that VSMC-KO mice also exhibit hypotension. Aortas isolated from VSMC-KO mice exhibited a weakened contractile response to phenylephrine, accompanied by reduced phosphorylation of myosin light chain 2 and decreased rhoA expression. VSMC isolated from VSMC-KO aortas showed a reduced increase in intracellular Ca2+ concentration induced by α-stimulants. These findings suggest that NRDC in VSMC regulates vascular contraction and blood pressure by modulating Ca2+ dynamics.
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