Types of cell contacts in different smooth muscles

1978 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 320-321
Author(s):  
Ruth M. Henderson
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Smooth Muscle ◽  
Gap Junctions ◽  
Cross Sections ◽  
Smooth Muscles ◽  
Double Staining ◽  
Cell Coupling ◽  
Standard Methods ◽  
Cell Contacts ◽  
Arterial Perfusion

It is generally agreed that, where present, gap junctions or nexuses provide low-resistance pathways for cell-to-cell coupling of activity. Though these contacts were first described in smooth muscle and occur widely there, some types of smooth muscle contain few or no gap junctions, and many contain other types of contacts.A variety of smooth muscles from several species was fixed with phosphate-buffered glutaraldehyde by intra-arterial perfusion or by immersion of small strips. Samples were prepared for electron microscopy by standard methods, using oriented embedding to view muscle in both longitudinal and cross sections.Four types of cell contacts were identified in various smooth muscles, which have been previously recognized. 1) The gap junction or nexus appears with the usual double staining as a five-layered contact, often with adjacent clear areas of cytoplasm (Fig. 1).

Are gap junctions necessary for cell-to-cell coupling of smooth muscle?: an update

1992 ◽  
Vol 70 (4) ◽  
pp. 481-490 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. E. Garfield ◽  
G. Thilander ◽  
M. G. Blennerhassett ◽  
N. Sakai
Keyword(s):  
Smooth Muscle ◽  
Gap Junctions ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Smooth Muscles ◽  
Cell Communication ◽  
Circular Muscle ◽  
Cell Coupling ◽  
And Function ◽  
Longitudinal Layer ◽  
Cell Cell

Earlier, it was questioned whether gap junctions (GJs) were necessary for cell–cell communication in smooth muscle, and GJs were not seen in some smooth muscles. We reexamined this question in the myometrium and in intestinal smooth muscle, in light of current knowledge of the presence and function of GJs. In the uterus, numerous studies show that an increase in GJ number is associated with the onset of delivery and is required for effective parturition. In all cases, this increase in GJ number and the changes in uterine contractility were correlated with increased electrical and metabolic coupling. Evidence for the much smaller, but detectable, degree of electrical coupling in the preterm uterus is explained by the small (but again detectable) number of GJs present. In the intestine, GJs are readily detected in the circular muscle layer but have not been described in the adjacent longitudinal layer. While our immunohistochemical studies failed to detect GJs in the longitudinal layer, this may not be adequate to prove their absence. Therefore, current knowledge of GJ number and function is adequate to explain cell–cell coupling in the uterus. Although it remains uncertain whether GJs are absent from the longitudinal muscle of the intestine, there is no definitive evidence that cell–cell coupling can occur by means other than GJs.Key words: gap junctions, myometrium, connexins, smooth muscle, cell communication.

Normalization of force generated by canine airway smooth muscles

1991 ◽  
Vol 260 (6) ◽  
pp. L522-L529 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Jiang ◽  
A. J. Halayko ◽  
K. Rao ◽  
P. Cunningham ◽  
N. L. Stephens
Keyword(s):  
Smooth Muscle ◽  
Cross Section ◽  
Cross Sections ◽  
Smooth Muscles ◽  
Muscle Cells ◽  
Cross Sectional Area ◽  
Sectional Area ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Muscle Stress ◽  
Total Tissue

A variety of normalizations have been employed to compare maximal isometric force (Po) produced by smooth muscles at different locations and stages of maturation. Because these procedures have not always been based on rigorous principles, confusion has resulted. To obtain a less ambiguous index of force production, we measured in vitro Po from mongrel canine tracheal (TSM) and bronchial (BSM) smooth muscle with an electromagnetic lever and normalized it to force per unit cross-sectional area of whole tissue (tissue stress), to force per unit cross-sectional area of muscle in the cross section of total tissue (muscle stress), and to force per fractional unit of myosin in the tissue cross section (myosin stress). Proportion of myosin in cross-sectional area of tissue was deduced from data obtained by sodium dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis of crude muscle extracts. For TSM, tissue stress was 1.499 X 10(5) N/m2 +/- 0.1 (SE), whereas it was only 0.351 X 10(5) N/m2 +/- 0.05 (SE) for BSM, representing a 4.27-fold difference (P less than 0.01). There was a 1.60-fold difference (P less than 0.05) in muscle stress, which was correlated to the morphometric finding that 79 +/- 1.4% (SE) of the tracheal strip cross section was muscle, whereas only 30 +/- 1.0% (SE) of bronchial tissue was occupied by muscle. Average myosin content was the same in smooth muscle cells of TSM and BSM, indicating that total amount of myosin in tissue cross sections was essentially a function of proportional area of muscle cells in total tissue cross sections.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Connexin40 and connexin43 in mouse aortic endothelium: evidence for coordinated regulation

2006 ◽  
Vol 290 (3) ◽  
pp. H1199-H1205 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brant E. Isakson ◽  
David N. Damon ◽  
Kathleen H. Day ◽  
Yongbo Liao ◽  
Brian R. Duling
Keyword(s):  
Endothelial Cells ◽  
Smooth Muscle ◽  
Gap Junctions ◽  
Cross Sections ◽  
Vessel Wall ◽  
The Other ◽  
En Face ◽  
Intracellular Compartments ◽  
Connexin Proteins ◽  
Whole Mounts

In the vessel wall, endothelial cells are metabolically and electrically coupled to each other and to the adjacent smooth muscle cells by gap junctions composed of connexins. Gap junctions may be formed from combinations of several different connexin proteins, and deletion of one connexin can lead to modification of the expression of another. To reveal a possible interaction between connexin40 (Cx40) and connexin43 (Cx43) in endothelium, we studied their distribution in vessels from C57Bl/6 and Cx40 knockout mice (Cx40−/−) using immunoblots and immunocytochemistry on aortic cross sections and en face whole mounts. En face preparations from C57Bl/6 mice revealed two distinct pools of Cx43, one pericellular and the other intracellular. Cx40 was largely restricted to the periphery of the cells, and in Cx40−/− mice it was, as expected, undetectable. In the Cx40−/− mice, total Cx43 protein was also modestly reduced (immunoblots), but there was a major redistribution of the protein within the cell. The pericellular component of Cx43 was rendered virtually undetectable, and the intracellular compartments were normal or even slightly elevated. Smooth muscle Cx43 was also reduced in the Cx40−/− animals. These findings indicate that the cellular distribution of Cx43 is dependent on the presence of Cx40, and in view of the profound effects on the pericellular pool of the Cx43, the findings suggest that interactions between Cx40 and Cx43 regulate communication between endothelial cells and perhaps between smooth muscle and endothelial cells as well.

scholarly journals Formation of gap junctions by treatment in vitro with potassium conductance blockers.

1978 ◽  
Vol 78 (2) ◽  
pp. 338-348 ◽  
Author(s):  
M S Kannan ◽  
E E Daniel
Keyword(s):  
Smooth Muscle ◽  
Gap Junctions ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Potassium Conductance ◽  
Cell Coupling ◽  
Thin Sections ◽  
Rapid Induction ◽  
Space Constant ◽  
Spontaneous Contractions

Gap junctions were regularly seen in thin sections of canine tracheal smooth muscle incubated in vitro. Their number was increased in tissued exposed in vitro to either of two potassium conductance blockers, tetraethylammonium (TEA) and 4-aminopyridine (4-AP), and at the same time the muscles became mechanically active, with spontaneous contractions. The presence of gap junctions in this smooth muscle may provide one basis for cell-to-cell coupling, and their increase after TEA- and 4-AP-treatment could account for a decreased junctional resistance between cells, contributing to a longer space constant. However, an increase in gap junctions was not sufficient to change the behavior of trachealis smooth muscle from multiunit to single-unit type. Gap junctions in increased numbers persisted after washout of 4-AP, which caused inhibition of spontaneous contractions, and despite inhibition of the contractile effects of 4-AP by atropine. The rapid induction of gap junction formation was not dependent on de novo synthesis of protein. The fact that the number of gap junctions can be increased by chemical agents has important implications for control of their formation and provides a tool for analysis fo their role in cell-to-cell coupling.

Airway smooth muscle shortening in excised canine lung lobes

1993 ◽  
Vol 74 (4) ◽  
pp. 1613-1621 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Okazawa ◽  
T. R. Bai ◽  
B. R. Wiggs ◽  
P. D. Pare
Keyword(s):  
Smooth Muscle ◽  
Airway Smooth Muscle ◽  
Cross Sections ◽  
Muscle Length ◽  
Elastic Recoil ◽  
Pulmonary Resistance ◽  
Airway Narrowing ◽  
Arterial Perfusion ◽  
Muscle Shortening ◽  
Lung Lobes

To estimate the importance of lung parenchymal airway interdependence in attenuating airway narrowing, airway smooth muscle shortening in response to nebulized carbachol was measured in excised canine lung lobes and compared with the calculated load applied by lung elastic recoil. Pulmonary resistance of matched right and left upper lobes of five dogs was measured in a pressure-compensated volume plethysmograph by forced oscillation (6 Hz) before and after administration of an aerosol of carbachol (250 mg/ml) or saline. Matched lobes were studied at transpulmonary pressures (PL) of 5, 7, 10, 12, and 15 cmH2O. The lungs were then fixed at that PL by pulmonary arterial perfusion with formaldehyde, and cross sections of multiple airways from each lobe (n = 275) were examined by use of morphometric techniques to measure luminal area and smooth muscle length. By use of the saline lobe as a control, percentage of muscle shortening and decrease in airway lumen area caused by carbachol could be calculated. Passive and active smooth muscle stresses in each airway were calculated from PL and the calculated change in peribronchial pressure for a given change in airway diameter. The increase in pulmonary resistance and average smooth muscle shortening after administration of carbachol was greater in lobes held at lower PL. There was marked variation in narrowing between airways within a lobe: smooth muscle shortening ranged between 0 and 65% but averaged < 45% at all levels of PL.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Evidence for the involvement of myoendothelial gap junctions in EDHF-mediated relaxation in the rat middle cerebral artery

2006 ◽  
Vol 291 (1) ◽  
pp. H385-H393 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elke M. Sokoya ◽  
Alan R. Burns ◽  
Christopher T. Setiawan ◽  
Harold A. Coleman ◽  
Helena C. Parkington ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Smooth Muscle ◽  
Endothelial Cell ◽  
Gap Junctions ◽  
Smooth Muscle Cell ◽  
Middle Cerebral Artery ◽  
Muscle Cell ◽  
Cerebral Artery ◽  
Male Rat ◽  
Direct Communication

The mechanisms underlying endothelium-dependent hyperpolarizing factor (EDHF) in the middle cerebral artery (MCA) remain largely unresolved. In particular, very little is known regarding the way in which the signal is transmitted from endothelium to smooth muscle. The present study tested the hypothesis that direct communication via myoendothelial gap junctions contributes to the EDHF response in the male rat MCA. EDHF-mediated dilations were elicited in rat MCAs by luminal application of ATP or UTP in the presence of Nω-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester and indomethacin. Maximum dilation to luminal ATP (10−4 M) was reduced significantly after incubation with a gap peptide cocktail (9 ± 4%, n = 6) compared with a scrambled gap peptide cocktail (99 ± 1%, n = 6, P < 0.05). A gap peptide cocktail had no effect on amplitude of endothelial cell hyperpolarization in response to 3 × 10−5 M UTP (22 ± 3 vs. 22 ± 1 mV, n = 4), whereas smooth muscle cell hyperpolarization was significantly attenuated (17 ± 1 vs. 6 ± 1 mV, n = 4, P = 0.004). Connexin (Cx) 37 was localized to smooth muscle and Cx43 to endothelium, whereas Cx40 was found in endothelium and smooth muscle. Electron microscopy revealed the existence of frequent myoendothelial junctions. The total number of myoendothelial junctions per 5 μm of MCA sectioned was 2.5 ± 0.5. Our results suggest that myoendothelial communication contributes to smooth muscle cell hyperpolarization and EDHF dilation in male rat MCA.

Characterization of gap junction channels in A7r5 vascular smooth muscle cells

1991 ◽  
Vol 260 (5) ◽  
pp. C975-C981 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. K. Moore ◽  
E. C. Beyer ◽  
J. M. Burt
Keyword(s):  
Smooth Muscle ◽  
Vascular Smooth Muscle ◽  
Gap Junctions ◽  
Gap Junction ◽  
Second Messengers ◽  
Protein Composition ◽  
Cell Coupling ◽  
Cyclic Monophosphate ◽  
A7r5 Cells ◽  
Immunohistochemical Studies

Recent evidence suggest that coordination of blood flow in the microcirculation involves cell-to-cell coupling via gap junctions. In this study, using A7r5 cells as a model of vascular smooth muscle, we have characterized the gap junctions in terms of the unitary conductances of the observed channels, the responses to second messengers, and subunit protein composition. The cells were typically well coupled several hours after plating, with junctional conductances on the order 20-40 nS. Channels with mean conductances of 36 and 89 pS were observed in low-conductance cell pairs and in cell pairs whose macroscopic conductance was reduced by exposure to halothane. Connexin43 was the only known gap junction sequence detected by Northern blots (low and high stringency), immunoblots, or immunohistochemical studies. Junctional conductance was reduced 15% by 8-bromoadenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate; 8-bromoguanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate had no effect. The results suggest that connexin43 can form stable channels of at least two distinct conductances and gap junctions with differing responses to second messengers.

Direct Observation of Heat Exchanger Deposits by Cross Sectioning

1967 ◽  
Vol 25 ◽  
pp. 364-365
Author(s):  
R. W. Anderson ◽  
D. L. Senecal
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Transmission Electron Microscopy ◽  
Heat Exchanger ◽  
Direct Observation ◽  
Cross Sections ◽  
Preparation Method ◽  
Specimen Preparation ◽  
Flowing Water ◽  
Transmission Electron ◽  
Deposit Layer

A problem was presented to observe the packing densities of deposits of sub-micron corrosion product particles. The deposits were 5-100 mils thick and had formed on the inside surfaces of 3/8 inch diameter Zircaloy-2 heat exchanger tubes. The particles were iron oxides deposited from flowing water and consequently were only weakly bonded. Particular care was required during handling to preserve the original formations of the deposits. The specimen preparation method described below allowed direct observation of cross sections of the deposit layers by transmission electron microscopy.The specimens were short sections of the tubes (about 3 inches long) that were carefully cut from the systems. The insides of the tube sections were first coated with a thin layer of a fluid epoxy resin by dipping. This coating served to impregnate the deposit layer as well as to protect the layer if subsequent handling were required.

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