Discuss the steps involved in contraction of smooth muscle and explain why smooth muscle has a slower contraction cycle
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Upon neural stimulation of the muscle, Ca2+ stored in the caveolae start to flow into the cell. Calmodulin, the regulatory protein in smooth muscles, will bind with the Ca++ which will activate the enzyme myosin light chain kinase (MLCK). This enzyme will use ATP to add a phosphate to the myosin head so that it can bind to actin so that the contraction can occur. The sliding of the actin and myosin is similar to the skeletal muscle. The slowness of the process is due to slow influx of Ca++ from caveolae into the cells (smooth muscles have a poor SR system, therefore, there is very little intercellular Ca++ storage). Also, the enzyme MLCK works very slowly which in turn causes the muscle to contract slowly.
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