This valuable resource provides a systematic account of the biochemistry of smooth muscle contraction. As a comprehensive guide to this rapidly growing area of research, it covers the structure and characteristic properties of contractile and regulatory proteins, with special emphasis on their predicted function in the live muscle. Also included in this book are intermediate filament proteins, and desmin and vimentin, whose function in smooth muscle is unknown; and several enzymes involved in the phosphorylation-dephosphorylation of contractile and other proteins.

The papers in this volume were contributed by close friends, co-workers and pupils of Professor Setsuro Ebashi. They are dedicated to him to commemorate his great and pioneering contribution to the advancement of muscle physiology and biochemistry, which, in time, exerted a great influence on the whole field of life science. We believe that this issue reveals the present state of research on muscle and/or calcium that was opened up by Professor Ebashi.

Smooth muscles line many internal organs and, in general, are involved in moving fluids and slurry around the body. They are controlled by the action of hormones, by nervous stimulation, and can be influenced by drugs. This 1997 book provides a review of our understanding of smooth muscle and integrates molecular, cellular and physiological information with tissue and anatomical studies. Well-known researchers have written chapters giving detailed reviews of our current knowledge of the biochemistry, pharmacology, physiology and anatomy of smooth muscle. In particular, they cover the seven most important areas of smooth muscle function including morphology, electrophysiology, mechanisms of electromechanical and pharmacomechanical coupling, calcium homeostasis, signal transduction, mechanics of contraction, and the contractile proteins. All those interested in muscular contraction will find this book worthwhile, whether they are biochemists, physiologists, or cell biologists.

Sixth Annual Graduate Hospital Research Symposium REGULATION OF SMOOTH MUSCLE PROGRESS IN SOLVING THE PUZZLE Every so often a scientific conference comes at a time when everyone has new and exciting information, when old "dogmas" do not seem to be as well established, and when speakers and participants alike are ready to challenge interpretations of old and new experimental data. This was such a conference. What turns on a smooth muscle cell? The precise answer to this question has eluded scientists for much longer than I have been involved in the field. We know that an increase in cytosolic calcium is necessary and we know that phosphorylation of the 20 kDa myosin light chain is an important step in the process. We do not know if other processes are necessary for the initiation and lor maintenance of a smooth muscle contraction nor do we know if other processes modulate the regulation of contraction. The goal of the symposium on which this volume is based was to explore the most current hypotheses for the answers to these questions. I believe that after reading the chapters included in this volume, you will agree that this goal was achieved. The importance of calcium and calmodulin dependent myosin light chain phosphoryla tion in the regulation of smooth muscle contraction was reinforced by many presentations. However, the status of myosin light chain phosphorylation as a simple calcium dependent switch came under serious suspicion.

New updated edition first published with Cambridge University Press. This new edition includes 29 chapters on topics as diverse as pathophysiology of atherosclerosis, vascular haemodynamics, haemostasis, thrombophilia and post-amputation pain syndromes.

This second edition is an updated version of an introductory level textbook intended for students who are interested in understanding the mechanical properties of smooth muscle. Compared with skeletal and cardiac muscles, smooth muscle is the least understood in terms of its contraction mechanism and the structure of its contractile apparatus. Nevertheless, it is an important tissue that is vital in many organ functions, such as blood pressure control, intestinal peristalsis, and the emptying of the bladder. Dysfunction of the muscle has been implicated in many diseases such as high blood pressure, asthma, and overactive bladders. This is the only book-length treatment of functional models of a variety of smooth muscle behaviors with their corresponding mathematical descriptions, and offers an easy-to-follow, step-by-step mathematical derivation that will help students to appreciate the muscle cell as a fine-tuned aggregate of mechanisms governed by the fundamental laws of physics. In addition to providing a detailed description of the known subcellular structure and mechanical function of the contractile apparatus of smooth muscle, it also covers experimentation techniques, instrumentation, and data analysis. The book is a must-have information source for anyone interested in smooth muscle cell ultrastructure, physiology, biochemistry, and pharmacology.