Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 8, 2025
07:56
Isolation of Intrapulmonary Artery and Smooth Muscle Cells to Investigate Vascular Responses
Published on: June 8, 2022
4.4K
CEMIP Maintains Vascular Contractility by Controlling PP1c-MLC20 Cascade in SMCs.
Ze Yuan1,2,3, Qi Li4, Xue Bai5
1The Province and Ministry Co-Sponsored Collaborative Innovation Center for Medical Epigenetics (Z.Y., J.H., D.A., Y.Z., B.L.), Tianjin Medical University, China.
Circulation Research
|July 1, 2025
Summary
Cell migration-inducing protein (CEMIP) maintains vascular smooth muscle cell contractility and blood pressure. Loss of CEMIP in smooth muscle cells reduces contractility and blood pressure.
Area of Science:
- Vascular Biology
- Cellular Physiology
- Molecular Mechanisms
Background:
- Cell migration-inducing protein (CEMIP) is highly expressed in smooth muscle tissues.
- Its role in vascular smooth muscle cell (SMC) contractility and blood pressure regulation is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the function of CEMIP in SMCs.
- To determine the molecular mechanisms by which CEMIP regulates SMC phenotype and blood pressure.
Main Methods:
- Generated SMC-specific CEMIP knockout mice (SMC-CemipKO).
- Utilized coimmunoprecipitation, molecular docking, and bioluminescence resonance energy transfer assays.
- Performed motif mutation analysis to identify critical binding sites.
Main Results:
- CEMIP expression decreased in SMCs shifting from contractile to secretory phenotype.
- SMC-CemipKO mice exhibited reduced contractility and blood pressure.
- CEMIP directly binds and maintains phosphorylation of myosin light chain 20 (MLC20) by sequestering it from protein phosphatase 1c (PP1c).
- CEMIP contains critical RVxF motifs for PP1c binding.
Conclusions:
- CEMIP acts as a gatekeeper for SMC contractile phenotype maintenance via the PP1c-MLC20 pathway.
- CEMIP is essential for maintaining normal blood pressure.
Related Concept Videos
01:25Smooth Muscle Contraction
3.7K
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...
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...
3.7K
01:28Nitric Oxide Signaling Pathway
5.2K
Nitric oxide (NO), an inorganic gas, acts as a potent second messenger in most animal and plant tissues. NO diffuses out of the cells that produce it and enters the neighboring cells to generate a downstream response. NO synthase (NOS) catalyzes NO production by the deamination of the amino acid arginine. There are three isoforms of NOS. Endothelial cells have endothelial NOS (eNOS), nerve and muscle cells have neuronal NOS (nNOS), and macrophages produce inducible NOS (iNOS) upon exposure...
5.2K
01:18Antihypertensive Drugs: Action of Calcium Channel Blockers
761
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,...
761
01:13Cell-matrix's Response to Mechanical Forces
2.7K
In animal cells, the extracellular matrix allows cells within tissues to withstand external stresses and transmits signals from the outside of the cell to the inside. The extracellular matrix is extensive, and its composition varies between different types of tissues. For example, the reticular fibers and ground substance make up the ECM in loose connective tissue, while collagen and bone minerals make up the ECM of bone tissue.
Anchoring junctions mechanically attach a cell to the...
Anchoring junctions mechanically attach a cell to the...
2.7K
02:15The Contractile Ring
6.5K
Contractile rings are composed of microfilaments and are responsible for separating the daughter cells during cytokinesis. Contractile ring assembly proceeds along with other cell cycle events; however, very few mechanistic details are known about the timing and coordination of the contractile rings with the cell cycle.
A small GTPase, RhoA, controls the function and assembly of the contractile ring. RhoA belongs to the Ras superfamily of proteins. The activation of formins by RhoA promotes...
A small GTPase, RhoA, controls the function and assembly of the contractile ring. RhoA belongs to the Ras superfamily of proteins. The activation of formins by RhoA promotes...
6.5K