Abstract. Vascular smooth muscle contraction is mediated by activation of extracellular signalregulated kinase (ERK) 1 / 2, an isoform of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK). However, the role of stress-activated protein kinase /c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) in vascular smooth muscle contraction has not been defined. We investigated the role of JNK in the contractile response to norepinephrine (NE) in rat aortic smooth muscle. NE evoked contraction in a dosedependent manner, and this effect was inhibited by the JNK inhibitor SP600125. NE increased the phosphorylation of JNK, which was greater in aortic smooth muscle from hypertensive rats than from normotensive rats. NE-induced JNK phosphorylation was significantly inhibited by SP600125 and the conventional-type PKC (cPKC) inhibitor Gö6976, but not by the Rho kinase inhibitor Y27632 or the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitor LY294002. Thymeleatoxin, a selective activator of cPKC, increased JNK phosphorylation, which was inhibited by Gö6976. SP600125 attenuated the phosphorylation of caldesmon, an actin-binding protein whose phosphorylation is increased by NE. These results show that JNK contributes to NE-mediated contraction through phosphorylation of caldesmon in rat aortic smooth muscle, and that this effect is regulated by the PKC pathway, especially cPKC.
[Purpose] The aim of this study was to examine the effects of muscle activity and the
number of resistance exercise repetitions on perceived exertion in tonic and phasic
muscles in young Korean adults. [Subjects] Janda’s classification system was used to
divide 40 Korean males and females in their 20s into a tonic muscle group (10 males, 10
females) and phasic muscle group (10 males, 10 females). [Methods] Each participant
performed resistance exercise at 70% of maximum exertion for a single repetition. Muscle
activity and number of repetitions were measured according to the Borg Rating of Perceived
Exertion scale, with fairly light, hard, and very hard rated as 11, 15, and 19,
respectively. Multiple regression analysis was performed. [Results] As the number of tonic
and phasic muscle repetitions for males and females and female phasic muscle activity
increased, the perceived exertion increased. Perceived exertion increased as the number of
tonic muscle repetitions and activity of gastrocnemius muscles in males and females and
the hamstring in males increased. Increased activity of phasic muscles in males and
females and rhomboid muscle activity in males was associated with significantly increased
perceived exertion. [Conclusion] Muscle activity and number of repetitions affect
perceived exertion. The perception of exertion differs by muscle type and can differ by
gender. The influence of the number of repetitions exceeds that of muscle activity.
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