develops from smooth muscle cell myocytes, smooth muscle SMCs Smooth muscle cells are a specialized type of muscle cells that are primarily found within the walls of hollow organs such as the intestine, stomach, bladder, uterus, and blood vessels. These cells are an essential component of the autonomic nervous system controling involuntary movements within the body. Smooth muscle cells play a vital role in many physiological processes due to their unique functionality. They can contract and relax in a slow, sustained, and controlled manner to help modulate the size and shape of the lumens of the organs they surround. For example, in the digestive system, coordinated contraction and relaxation of smooth muscle cells propels food along the gastrointestinal tract - a process known as peristalsis. In the blood vessels, the smooth muscle cells, by contracting or relaxing, either constrict or dilate the vessels, which in turn, help regulate blood flow and pressure. On a cellular level, smooth muscle cells possess a single, centrally located nucleus and contain an arranged network of actin and myosin filaments, which are the proteins responsible for muscle contraction. Unlike their counterparts in skeletal or cardiac muscles, these cells lack specific contact points for these filaments, hence the lack of visible striations. Furthermore, the contraction of smooth muscle cells is regulated by hormones and neurotransmitters, such as acetylcholine and norepinephrine, adding an additional layer of complex regulation to these highly specialized cells. (This extended description was generated by ChatGPT and reviewed by the CellGuide team, who added references, and by the CL editors, who approved it for inclusion in CL. It may contain information that applies only to some subtypes and species, and so should not be considered definitional.) CALOHA:TS-2159 smooth muscle fiber FMA:14072 BTO:0004576 non-striated muscle cell smooth muscle cell https://cellxgene.cziscience.com/cellguide/CL_0000192 ZFA:0009118 A non-striated, elongated, spindle-shaped cell found lining the digestive tract, uterus, and blood vessels. They develop from specialized myoblasts (smooth muscle myoblast). smooth muscle myoblast non-striated muscle cell visceral muscle cell Homo sapiens