smooth muscle location
wall of all hollow organs (e.g. blood vessels, GIT)
smooth muscle structure
no regular actin and mosin arrangement so not striated
what controls smooth muscle
autonomic nervous system
speed of smooth muscle excitation-contraction coupling
slower than cardiac and skeletal
smooth muscle excitation-contraction coupling
depolarisation activates voltage-gated Ca2+ channels → Ca2+ influx → Ca2+ binds to calmodulin (CaM) → formation of Ca2+-CaM complex → myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) activated → MLCK phosphorylates myosin light chains (MLC20) → form cross-bridges with actin filaments → contraction (e.g. vasoconstriction)