Mizutani H, Yamamura H, Muramatsu M, Hagihara Y, Suzuki Y, Imaizumi Y. Modulation of Ca oscillation and melatonin secretion by BKCa channel activity in rat pinealocytes. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol 310: C740–C747, 2016. First published January 20, 2016; doi:10.1152/ajpcell.00342.2015.—The pineal glands regulate circadian rhythm through the synthesis and secretion of melatonin. The stimulation of ...

Mechanisms underlying ethanol (EtOH)-induced detrusor smooth muscle (DSM) relaxation and increased urinary bladder capacity remain unknown. We investigated whether the large conductance Ca(2+)-activated K(+) (BK) channels or L-type voltage-dependent Ca(2+) channels (VDCCs), major regulators of DSM excitability and contractility, are targets for EtOH by patch-clamp electrophysiology (conventiona...

Multiple, perhaps interactive, mechanisms participate in the linkage between increased neural activity and cerebral vasodilation. In the present study, we assessed whether neural activation-related pial arteriolar dilation (PAD) involved interactions among adenosine (Ado) A(2) receptors (A(2)Rs), large-conductance Ca(2+)-operated K(+) (BK(Ca)) channels, and inward rectifier K(+) (K(ir)) channel...

AIM To study the effects of d- and l-limonene on pregnant rat myometrial contractility in vitro, and investigate how these effects are modified by other agents. D- and l-limonene (10(-13)-10(-8) M) caused myometrial contraction in a dose-dependent manner. METHODS Contractions of uterine rings from 22-day-pregnant rats were measured in an organ bath in the presence of d- or l-limonene (10(-13)...

Mitochondria generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) dependent on substrate conditions, O(2) concentration, redox state, and activity of the mitochondrial complexes. It is well known that the FADH(2)-linked substrate succinate induces reverse electron flow to complex I of the electron transport chain and that this process generates superoxide (O(2)(*-)); these effects are blocked by the complex ...

The medial prefrontal cortex (PFC) is involved in cognitive functions, which undergo profound changes during adolescence. This alteration of the PFC function derives from neuron activity, which, in turn, may depend on age-dependent properties and the expression of neuronal ion channels. BK-type channels are involved in controlling both the Ca(+) (+) ion concentration in the cell interior and ce...

BACKGROUND The large-conductance Ca2+-activated K+ (BK(Ca)) channel in the cardiac inner mitochondrial membrane (mitoK(Ca) channel) has been shown to protect the heart against ischemic injury. However, questions about the cardioprotective mechanism and the kinase-mediated regulation of mitoK(Ca) channels remain to be answered. METHODS AND RESULTS Flavoprotein fluorescence in guinea pig ventri...

Estrogen replacement therapies have been suggested to be beneficial in alleviating symptoms of overactive bladder. However, the precise regulatory mechanisms of estrogen in urinary bladder smooth muscle (UBSM) at the cellular level remain unknown. Large conductance voltage- and Ca2+-activated K+ (BK) channels, which are key regulators of UBSM function, are suggested to be non-genomic targets of...

Background—The large-conductance Ca -activated K (BKCa) channel in the cardiac inner mitochondrial membrane (mitoKCa channel) has been shown to protect the heart against ischemic injury. However, questions about the cardioprotective mechanism and the kinase-mediated regulation of mitoKCa channels remain to be answered. Methods and Results—Flavoprotein fluorescence in guinea pig ventricular myoc...