J Physiol Wellcome Trust-funded researchers
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

J Physiol Volume 576, Number 3, 715-720, November 1, 2006 DOI: 10.1113/jphysiol.2006.115956
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
576/3/715    most recent
jphysiol.2006.115956v1
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Sergeant, G. P.
Right arrow Articles by Thornbury, K. D.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Sergeant, G. P.
Right arrow Articles by Thornbury, K. D.
Related Collections
Right arrow Review articles

SYMPOSIUM REPORT

Ca2+ signalling in urethral interstitial cells of Cajal

Gerard P. Sergeant1, M. A. Hollywood1, N. G. McHale1 and K. D. Thornbury1

1 Smooth Muscle Research Centre, Dundalk Institute of Technology, Dundalk, County Louth, Ireland

Interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) in the urethra have been proposed as specialized pacemakers that are involved in the generation of urethral tone and therefore the maintenance of urinary continence. Recent studies on freshly dispersed ICC from the urethra of rabbits have demonstrated that pacemaker activity in urethra ICC is characterized by spontaneous transient depolarizations (STDs) under current clamp and spontaneous transient inward currents (STICs) under voltage clamp. When these events were simultaneously recorded with changes in intracellular Ca2+ (using a Nipkow spinning disk confocal microscope) they were found to be associated with global Ca2+ oscillations. In this short review we will consider some of these recent findings regarding the contribution of intracellular Ca2+ stores and Ca2+ influx to the generation of pacemaker activity in urethral ICC with particular emphasis on the contribution of reverse Na+/Ca2+ exchange (NCX).

(Received 26 June 2006; accepted after revision 11 August 2006; first published online 17 August 2006)
Corresponding author G. P Sergeant: Smooth Muscle Research Centre, Regional Development Centre, Dundalk Institute of Technology, Dundalk, Co. Louth, Ireland. Email: gerard.sergeant{at}dkit.ie

This report was presented at The Journal of Physiology Symposium on Involvement of interstitial cells of Cajal in the control of smooth muscle excitability, Okayama, Japan, 22 July 2006. It was commissioned by the Editorial Board and reflects the views of the authors.




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Exp PhysiolHome page
W. J. E. P. Lammers and B. Stephen
Origin and propagation of individual slow waves along the intact feline small intestine
Exp Physiol, March 1, 2008; 93(3): 334 - 346.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Physiol.Home page
H. Hashitani and H. Suzuki
Properties of spontaneous Ca2+ transients recorded from interstitial cells of Cajal-like cells of the rabbit urethra in situ
J. Physiol., September 1, 2007; 583(2): 505 - 519.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Physiol.Home page
G. D. S. Hirst and H. Suzuki
Involvement of interstitial cells of Cajal in the control of smooth muscle excitability
J. Physiol., November 1, 2006; 576(3): 651 - 652.
[Full Text] [PDF]


HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 2006 The Physiological Society.