Regulation of Calcium Entry in Cerebral Arteries

小动脉控制血液流向各个器官。 这些 动脉通常收缩，从那里扩张， 收缩取决于对血液的需求。 的动脉 大脑对血液流动有特殊要求，它们必须维持 即使血压变化，血液也会流动。 钙（Ca2+） 离子在动脉的狭窄和开放中起关键作用。 动脉壁肌肉细胞内的Ca2+离子导致 肌肉细胞收缩， 缩小。 我们研究了Ca2+进入这些细胞的机制， 肌肉细胞 Ca2+通过专门的 蛋白质通过膜形成孔， 从细胞内部 这些气孔被称为"钙 通道"，是一个主要类别的心血管疾病的目标， 被称为"钙通道阻滞剂"的药物， 高血压心绞痛和中风 拟议项目将 检查动脉中"钙通道"的特性， 调节大脑的血液流动 这应该是第一个研究 它的种类，并应提供重要的信息， 了解一些最重要的 动脉是有规律的。 这项研究是由新的 分离小动脉和单个平滑肌的技术 一种叫WKY的老鼠 将大鼠麻醉， 迅速杀死。 然后迅速切除动脉。 所有 在离体动脉或单个光滑动脉上进行实验， 从这些动脉中分离出的肌肉细胞 这些研究应 是同类中的第一个， 这对于理解钙离子在补剂中进入的调节是必不可少的， 自动调节动脉//

Small arteries control blood flow to various organs. These arteries are normally contracted from which they dilate or constrict depending on the need for blood. The arteries in the brain have a special requirement for blood flow; they must maintain blood flow even when the blood pressure changes. Calcium (Ca2+) ions play a critical role in the narrowing and opening of arteries. Ca2+ ions inside the muscle cells in the wall of the arteries cause the muscle cells to contract and consequently cause blood vessels to narrow. We study the mechanism by which Ca2+ enters these muscle cells. Ca2+ enters the smooth muscle through specialized proteins that form pores through membrane that separate the outside of the cell from the inside. These pores are called "calcium channels" and are the targets of a major class of cardiovascular drugs called "calcium channel blockers" that are used to treat hypertension, angina, and stroke. The proposed project will examine the properties of "calcium channels" in arteries that regulate blood flow in the brain. This should be the first study of its kind and should provide vital information to the understanding of how the diameter of some of the most important arteries is regulated. This study has been made possible by new techniques to isolate small arteries and single smooth muscle of genetic strain of rats called WKY. The rats are anesthetized and rapidly killed. The arteries are then rapidly removed. All experiments are done on the isolated arteries or single smooth muscle cells isolated from these arteries. These studies should be the first of their kind and should provide a foundation essential for understanding the regulation of Ca entry in tonic, autoregulating arteries. //