The state of contraction of vascular smooth muscle is determined most directly by the A) Occupancy of receptors for vasoconstrictors or vasodilators B) State of phosphorylation of myosin light chains C) Activation of acto-myosin cross bridges by Ca²⁺ D) Mem brane potential of the sm ooth m uscle cells E) Electrical coupling of smooth muscle cells through gap junctions

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The state of contraction of vascular smooth muscle is most directly determined by the state of phosphorylation of myosin light chains. This process is central to the regulation of smooth muscle contraction, as phosphorylation of myosin light chains by myosin light chain kinase enables myosin to interact with actin filaments, leading to contraction.

The State of Contraction of Vascular Smooth Muscle Is Determined