Chapter 9, Problem 10CT

Summary Introduction

Case summary:

The smooth muscle of a blood vessel contracted due to the stimulation by a hormone.

Adequate information:

Hormones like epinephrine and oxytocin stimulate contraction in the blood vessels and the uterine muscles respectively.

To analyze:

The hormone and the process that helps in contraction of smooth muscles.

Introduction:

A change in membrane potential, brought on by the firing of action potentials or by activation of stretch-dependent ion channels in the plasma membrane, can also trigger contraction. Thus, contractile activity in smooth muscle is determined primarily by the phosphorylation state of the light chain of myosin.