Smooth Muscle Physiology

Question 1

What type of muscle contracts slower?

Answer 1

Smooth Muscle

Question 2

What type of smooth muscle is joined through gap junctions?

Answer 2

Single unit / Visceral Smooth Muscle

Question 3

What lacks in the Smooth Muscle?

Answer 3

Troponin and Tropomyosin

Question 4

What does Ca+2 activates in smooth muscle?

Answer 4

Myosin Light Chain Kinase (MLCK)

This increases the affinity of myosin for actin.

Question 5

Can a hormone increase the intracellular Ca+2 in smooth muscle?

Answer 5

YES

Through ligand gated Calcium Channels.

Question 6

What is the role of Rho in smooth muscle?

Answer 6

Rho inhibits the phosphatase (relaxation) and allows the action of the kinase (contraction).

Promotes contraction, can lead to Asthma, Hypertension.

Pharmaceutical Target

Question 7

What pharmaceutical produces the relaxation of the arteries?

Answer 7

Viagra

As it contains NO.

Question 8

Why does smooth muscle has the ability to adapt’

Answer 8

Because the myofibrils are not parallele.

Pero también tienen menos fuerza.

Question 9

How do smooth muscle cells proliferate?

Answer 9

They don’t have more nuclei, what they do is to increase the genetic material (Hypertrophy, tetraploid, octoploid).