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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2023 Jul 31.
Published in final edited form as: Compr Physiol. 2021 Apr 1;11(2):1831–1869. doi: 10.1002/cphy.c200030

Figure 2. Regulation of vascular smooth muscle cell (SMC) contractility by voltage-gated Ca2+ channels.

Figure 2

Ca2+ entry through CaV1.2 and CaV3.1 channels promotes SMC contraction. Ca2+ influx through CaV3.2 channels activates ryanodine receptors (RyRs), triggering Ca2+ release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) in the vicinity of large conductance, Ca2+-activated K+ (BK) channels. BK channel activation results in SMC hyperpolarization and vasodilation. The dotted line indicates the deactivation of CaV1.2 and CaV3.1 channels.