When stimulated by the autonomic nervous system to contract from the release of hormones or other chemical signals, smooth muscle cells shorten via the movement of actin and myosin myofilaments.

Now, a recent paper 1 has filled in key details, presenting a landmark structure — the crystal structure of the smooth muscle myosin motor-domain with the essential light chain crystallized with ...

Myosin II plays the most important role in cellular force generation. Myosin II molecules self-assemble into filaments with different structures depending on myosin II isoforms and other conditions ...

The human body contains three kinds of muscle tissue: skeletal, smooth, and cardiac ... occur due to alternating filaments that comprise myosin and actin proteins. The dark stripes indicate ...

Vale became intrigued by microscopy movies generated by his lab neighbors James Spudich and visiting professor Michael Sheetz showing myosin-coated beads moving along the actin cables of purified ...

which inhibits the phosphorylation of myosin and lowers intracellular ionic calcium concentrations, resulting in relaxation. Albuterol relaxes the smooth muscles of all airways, from the trachea ...