title: Regulation of cerebral artery smooth muscle membrane potential by Ca²⁺-activated cation channels.
abstract: Arterial tone is dependent on the depolarizing and hyperpolarizing currents regulating membrane potential and governing the influx of Ca²⁺ needed for smooth muscle contraction. Several ion channels have been proposed to contribute to membrane depolarization, but the underlying molecular mechanisms are not fully understood. In this review, we will discuss the historical and physiological significance of the Ca²⁺-activated cation channel, TRPM4, in regulating membrane potential of cerebral artery smooth muscle cells. As a member of the recently described transient receptor potential super family of ion channels, TRPM4 possesses the biophysical properties and upstream cellular signaling and regulatory pathways that establish it as a major physiological player in smooth muscle membrane depolarization.
authors.affiliation: Vascular Physiology Research Group, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA.
authors.forename: Albert L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Gonzales
authors.forename: Scott
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Earley
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D002536:Cerebral Arteries / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D009124:Muscle Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D009131:Muscle, Smooth, Vascular / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology*; D050053:TRPM Cation Channels / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D009124:Muscle Proteins; D050053:TRPM Cation Channels; C437888:TRPM4 protein, human; D002118:Calcium