title: What is latch? New ideas about tonic contraction in smooth muscle.
abstract: Smooth muscles have traditionally been classified as phasic or tonic, the tonic muscles being those which maintain a steady tension indefinitely with a low consumption of energy. Until ten years ago it was considered that the differences between smooth muscle types reflected different innervation or excitation-contraction coupling. However, recent work makes it clear that the contractile apparatus itself is adapted in tonic muscles.
authors.affiliation: National Heart and Lung Institute, London.
authors.forename: S B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Marston
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D002148:Calmodulin-Binding Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D009119:Muscle Contraction; D009130:Muscle, Smooth / Q000502:physiology*; D009131:Muscle, Smooth, Vascular / Q000502:physiology*; D009218:Myosins / Q000378:metabolism; D010766:Phosphorylation
chemical_list: D002148:Calmodulin-Binding Proteins; D009218:Myosins; D002118:Calcium