Silencing MaxiK Activity in Corporal Smooth Muscle Cells Initiates Compensatory Mechanisms to Maintain Calcium Homeostasis

Abstract

Our results indicate that while short-term blockade of the MaxiK channel is associated with an increase in basal [Ca(2+) ](i), Ca(2+) homeostasis is restored during the 48 hours period following silencing. We hypothesize that the different pathways regulating [Ca(2+) ](i) and CCSM tone are linked through molecular crosstalk and that their coordinated regulation is part of a compensatory mechanism aimed to maintain Ca(2+) homeostasis and CCSM tone.