Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
2
pubmed:dateCreated
2005-7-18
pubmed:abstractText
Prenatal airways from diverse species exhibit spontaneous peristaltic contractions (airway peristalsis). These contractile waves appear coupled to and may function to regulate prenatal lung growth. They are unaffected by atropine or tetrodotoxin but abolished by nifedipine. Nevertheless, the mechanisms by which these contractile waves are generated, regulated, and propagated remain obscure. Using calcium imaging and whole embryonic lung organ culture, we demonstrate for the first time that peristalsis of the embryonic airway is driven by spontaneous, regenerative, temperature-sensitive calcium (Ca2+) waves. These Ca2+ waves propagate between individual airway smooth muscle cells coupled via gap junctions, are likely to be action potential-mediated, and are dependent on not only extracellular calcium entry via L-type voltage-gated channels but also intracellular Ca2+ stores. Thus, if airway peristalsis regulates lung growth, these findings mean that airway smooth muscle Ca2+ waves in turn regulate prenatal lung morphogenesis.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Aug
pubmed:issn
1044-1549
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
33
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
153-60
pubmed:dateRevised
2006-11-15
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
2005
pubmed:articleTitle
Spontaneous propagating calcium waves underpin airway peristalsis in embryonic rat lung.
pubmed:affiliation
Division of Child Health, Royal Liverpool Children's Hospital (Alder Hey), School of Biological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 3BX, UK. N.C.Featherstone@Liverpool.ac.uk
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, In Vitro, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't