Human Gene Set: KEGG_VASCULAR_SMOOTH_MUSCLE_CONTRACTION


Standard name KEGG_VASCULAR_SMOOTH_MUSCLE_CONTRACTION
Systematic name M9387
Brief description Vascular smooth muscle contraction
Full description or abstract The vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) is a highly specialized cell whose principal function is contraction. On contraction, VSMCs shorten, thereby decreasing the diameter of a blood vessel to regulate the blood flow and pressure. The principal mechanisms that regulate the contractile state of VSMCs are changes in cytosolic Ca2+ concentration (c). In response to vasoconstrictor stimuli, Ca2+ is mobilized from intracellular stores and/or the extracellular space to increase c in VSMCs. The increase in c, in turn, activates the Ca2+-CaM-MLCK pathway and stimulates MLC20 phosphorylation, leading to myosin-actin interactions and, hence, the development of contractile force. The sensitivity of contractile myofilaments or MLC20 phosphorylation to Ca2+ can be secondarily modulated by other signaling pathways. During receptor stimulation, the contractile force is greatly enhanced by the inhibition of myosin phosphatase. Rho/Rho kinase, PKC, and arachidonic acid have been proposed to play a pivotal role in this enhancement. The signaling events that mediate relaxation include the removal of a contractile agonist (passive relaxation) and activation of cyclic nucleotide-dependent signaling pathways in the continued presence of a contractile agonist (active relaxation). Active relaxation occurs through the inhibition of both Ca2+ mobilization and myofilament Ca2+ sensitivity in VSMCs.
Collection C2: Curated
      CP: Canonical Pathways
            CP:KEGG_LEGACY: KEGG Legacy Pathways
Source publication  
Exact source hsa04270
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External links http://www.genome.jp/pathway/hsa04270
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Source species Homo sapiens
Contributed by KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes)
Source platform or
identifier namespace		 Human_NCBI_Gene_ID
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The content of the gene sets in the KEGG_LEGACY collection has not been updated since KEGG restricted their usage terms in 2011. More recent sets are available in the KEGG_MEDICUS collection, derived from KEGG's openly available MEDICUS subset.


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