Tracheal smooth muscle.

Abstract

Contraction of tracheal smooth muscle requires the binding of Ca2+ to calmodulin, which then binds to and activates MLCK. The Ca2+-calmodulin-MLCK complex catalyzes the phosphorylation of myosin, which causes contraction by stimulating actin-activated Mg2+-ATPase activity of myosin. Myosin phosphorylation appears to be a transient event that is responsible for a high velocity of shortening. The mechanism responsible for maintenance of isometric force is unknown, although a second Ca2+-dependent mechanism with a greater sensitivity to Ca2+ than the activation of MLCK has been hypothesized. Force would be maintained through the slow cycling of nonphosphorylated cross-bridges or a small population of phosphorylated cross-bridges. Tracheal smooth muscle utilizes both extracellular and intracellular pools of Ca2+ for contraction. Moreover, the membrane channels through which extracellular Ca2+ passes have been subdivided into potential-dependent channels (PDCs) and receptor-operated channels (ROCs) independent of membrane potential. The relative extent to which extracellular and intracellular sources of Ca2+ as well as PDCs and ROCs are utilized depends on the agonist used for contraction, its concentration, and the type and location of the smooth muscle being investigated. Calcium antagonists such as verapamil and nifedipine, which reportedly block PDCs but not ROCs, are much better inhibitors of tracheal smooth muscle contractions induced by serotonin than those induced by acetylcholine, histamine, and leukotriene D4, indicating an effect of these latter three agents on ROCs. Relaxation of tracheal smooth muscle following stimulation of beta-adrenergic receptors most likely results from an increase in cAMP that stimulates a cAMP-dependent protein kinase to catalyze a protein phosphorylation that leads to relaxation by decreasing the intracellular concentration of Ca2+. The primary mechanisms whereby cAMP is thought to reduce intracellular Ca2+ to effect relaxation include: activation of a calmodulin-sensitive Ca2+ ATPase in the plasma and sarcoplasmic reticulum membranes, and extrusion of Ca2+ by a Na+-Ca2+ exchange mechanism coupled to Na+-K+-ATPase in the cell membrane. A more controversial mechanism for relaxation that bypasses Ca2+ might involve the dephosphorylation of myosin. Leukotrienes are released by various stimuli, including immunologic challenge, and have been considered as important mediators of bronchoconstriction in allergic asthma.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)