(A) a2d associates with a1 to regulate the properties of voltage-gated calcium channels. a2d consists of two domains, the extracellular a2 domain and the transmembrane domain d, which are linked by disulfide bonds. Various protein interaction motifs are found on a2. (B) a2d regulates synapse formation and shape independently of voltage-gated calcium channels: a possible model. Thrombospondins, ...

The heart’s pumping action is made possible by interactions between myosin, the major protein of the thick filaments, and actin, which makes up the backbone of the thin filaments. These interactions, which are activated by calcium, are regulated by tropomyosin and troponins C, I, and T that are present along with actin in the thin filaments. The signaling process that initiates cardiac systole,...

We hypothesized that myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) links calcium release to activation of store-operated calcium entry, which is important for control of the endothelial cell barrier. Acute inhibition of MLCK caused calcium release from inositol trisphosphate-sensitive calcium stores and prevented subsequent activation of store-operated calcium entry by thapsigargin, suggesting that MLCK ser...

Renin is the enzyme which is the rate-limiting step in the formation of the hormone angiotensin II. Therefore, the regulation of renin secretion is critical in understanding the control of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system and its many biological and pathological actions. Renin is synthesized, stored in, and released from the juxtaglomerular (JG) cells of the kidney. While renin secretio...

Fate decision processes of T lymphocytes are crucial for health and disease. Whether a T lymphocyte is activated, divides, gets anergic, or initiates apoptosis depends on extracellular triggers and intracellular signaling. Free cytosolic calcium dynamics plays an important role in this context. The relative contributions of store-derived calcium entry and calcium entry from extracellular space ...

We report the case of a 57-year-old male patient with cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL) diagnosed on the basis of ultrastructural and genetic examinations. Ultrastructurally, granular osmiophilic material (GOM) deposits, degeneration and loss of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) and pericytes in small arterial and capillary ve...