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Science 27 October 1995:
Vol. 270. no. 5236, p. 588
DOI: 10.1126/science.270.5236.588
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Perspectives

Fredric S. Fay

Calcium "sparks" are small, intense bursts of calcium that occur in cells from cardiac muscle, skeletal muscle, and, as shown in a paper in this issue of Science by Nelson et al. (p. 633), smooth muscle. As discussed by F. Fay, these sparks are of particular interest because in smooth muscle they have a unique and unexpected function: They control vasodilation in small arteries of the brain.

The author is in the Department of Physiology, Program in Molecular Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA.

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THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
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E. D. Moore, T. Voigt, Y. M. Kobayashi, G. Isenberg, F. S. Fay, M. F. Gallitelli, and C. Franzini-Armstrong (2004)
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Altered calcium sensitivity contributes to enhanced contractility of collateral-dependent coronary arteries.
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J Appl Physiol 97, 310-316
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Chronic intrauterine pulmonary hypertension compromises fetal pulmonary artery smooth muscle cell O2 sensing.
B. C. Linden, E. R. Resnik, K. J. Hendrickson, J. M. Herron, T. J. O'Connor, and D. N. Cornfield (2003)
Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol 285, L1354-L1361
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Altered functional coupling of coronary K+ channels in diabetic dyslipidemic pigs is prevented by exercise.
E. A. Mokelke, Q. Hu, M. Song, L. Toro, H. K. Reddy, and M. Sturek (2003)
J Appl Physiol 95, 1179-1193
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Signal Transduction in Smooth Muscle: Invited Review: Significance of spatial and temporal heterogeneity of calcium transients in smooth muscle.
C. M. Pabelick, G. C. Sieck, and Y. S. Prakash (2001)
J Appl Physiol 91, 488-496
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Mice With Disrupted BK Channel {beta}1 Subunit Gene Feature Abnormal Ca2+ Spark/STOC Coupling and Elevated Blood Pressure.
S. Pluger, J. Faulhaber, M. Furstenau, M. Lohn, R. Waldschutz, M. Gollasch, H. Haller, F. C. Luft, H. Ehmke, and O. Pongs (2000)
Circ. Res. 87 , e53-e60
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Muscle-specific Transcriptional Regulation of the slowpoke Ca2+-activated K+ Channel Gene.
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J. Biol. Chem. 275, 3991-3998
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Calcium sparks in smooth muscle.
J. H. Jaggar, V. A. Porter, W. J. Lederer, and M. T. Nelson (2000)
Am J Physiol Cell Physiol 278, C235-C256
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Ion Channels and Vascular Tone.
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Hypertension 35, 173-178
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Regulation of the Cerebral Circulation: Role of Endothelium and Potassium Channels.
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Physiol Rev 78, 53-97
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Characterization and function of Ca2+-activated K+ channels in arteriolar muscle cells.
W. F. Jackson and K. L. Blair (1998)
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Activators of protein kinase C decrease Ca2+ spark frequency in smooth muscle cells from cerebral arteries.
A. D. Bonev, J. H. Jaggar, M. Rubart, and M. T. Nelson (1997)
Am J Physiol Cell Physiol 273, C2090-C2095
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Regulation of Spontaneous Transient Outward Potassium Currents in Human Coronary Arteries.
R. Bychkov, M. Gollasch, C. Ried, F. C. Luft, and H. Haller (1997)
Circulation 95, 503-510
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Ca2+-dependent interaction of S100A2 with muscle and nonmuscle tropomyosins.
M Gimona, Z Lando, Y Dolginov, J Vandekerckhove, R Kobayashi, A Sobieszek, and D. Helfman (1997)
J. Cell Sci. 110, 611-621
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Unique Postsynaptic Signaling at the Hair Cell Efferent Synapse Permits Calcium to Evoke Changes on Two Time Scales.
T. S. Sridhar, M. C. Brown, and W. F. Sewell (1997)
J. Neurosci. 17, 428-437
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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)