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. 2015 Feb;7(2):a006023. doi: 10.1101/cshperspect.a006023

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Figure 5. — Smooth muscle contraction. Calcium released by L-type calcium channels or IP3Rs downstream from Gq-coupled cell-surface receptors causes smooth muscle contraction. It binds to calmodulin (CaM) and the resulting complex stimulates myosin light-chain (MLC) kinase (MLCK). This phosphorylates MLC to promote contraction. A RhoA/ROCK pathway and a diacylglycerol (DAG) pathway contribute to calcium sensitization by altering the phosphorylation status of myosin light-chain phosphatase (MLCP). Relaxation is mediated through the cGMP/PKG pathway downstream from nitric oxide (NO) and agonists such as atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP).