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INVITED EDITORIAL

On the terminology for describing the length-force relationship and its changes in airway smooth muscle

¹James Hogg iCAPTURE Centre for Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Research, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; ²Departments of Medicine, Molecular Physiology, and Biophysics, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont; ³Department of Internal Medicine, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy; ⁴Pulmonary Section, Department of Medicine, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois; ⁵Division of Pediatric Pulmonary Diseases, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina; ⁶Physiology Program, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts; ⁷Zentralinstitut fur Biomedizinische Technik, Erlangen, Germany; ⁸Krannert Institute of Cardiology, Indiana University, Indianapolis, Indiana; ⁹Department of Pharmacolgy, University of Nevada School of Medicine, Reno, Nevada; ¹⁰Department of Cellular & Integrative Physiology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana; ¹¹Department of Molecular, Pharmacology, Physiology and Biotechnology, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island; ¹²Department of Physiology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada; ¹³Department of Asthma, Allergy, and Respiratory Science, The Guy's, King's College & St. Thomas' School of Medicine, King's College London, London, United Kingdom; ¹⁴West Australia Sleep Disorder Research Institute, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Nedland, Australia; ¹⁵Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; ¹⁶Department of Anesthesiology, Mayo Clinic and Foundation, Rochester, Minnesota; ¹⁷The Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, St. Leonards, Australia; ¹⁸Children's Memorial Hospital, Chicago, Illinois; ¹⁹Institute of Fundamental Sciences-Physics, Palmerston North, New Zealand; ²⁰Department of Medicine, McGill University, Meakins-Christie Laboratories, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; ²¹Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts; ²²School of Biomedical Engineering, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada; ²³Physiology M311, School of Biomedical and Chemical Sciences, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Australia; ²⁴Department of Physiology, Johns Hopkins University Blomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland; ²⁵Department of Physiology & Biomedical Engineering, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, Minnesota; ²⁶Department of Pediatrics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio; and ²⁷Department of Pharmacology, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

ABSTRACT

The observation that the length-force relationship in airway smooth muscle can be shifted along the length axis by accommodating the muscle at different lengths has stimulated great interest. In light of the recent understanding of the dynamic nature of length-force relationship, many of our concepts regarding smooth muscle mechanical properties, including the notion that the muscle possesses a unique optimal length that correlates to maximal force generation, are likely to be incorrect. To facilitate accurate and efficient communication among scientists interested in the function of airway smooth muscle, a revised and collectively accepted nomenclature describing the adaptive and dynamic nature of the length-force relationship will be invaluable. Setting aside the issue of underlying mechanism, the purpose of this article is to define terminology that will aid investigators in describing observed phenomena. In particular, we recommend that the term "optimal length" (or any other term implying a unique length that correlates with maximal force generation) for airway smooth muscle be avoided. Instead, the in situ length or an arbitrary but clearly defined reference length should be used. We propose the usage of "length adaptation" to describe the phenomenon whereby the length-force curve of a muscle shifts along the length axis due to accommodation of the muscle at different lengths. We also discuss frequently used terms that do not have commonly accepted definitions that should be used cautiously.

smooth muscle contraction; adaptation; plasticity; cytoskeleton; contractile apparatus

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