Abstract-The myogenic response of skeletal muscle arterioles is enhanced in hypertension because of the release of endothelin (ET) and prostaglandin H 2 (PGH 2 )/thromboxane A 2 (TxA 2 ) from the endothelium. We hypothesized that ET and PGH 2 /TxA 2 modulate Ca 2ϩ signaling in arteriolar smooth muscle and thereby enhance myogenic constriction. Thus, simultaneous changes in intracellular Ca 2ϩ concentration in smooth muscle ([Ca 2ϩ ] i ), measured by fura 2 microfluorometry (expressed as Ca 2ϩ fluorescence ratio [R Ca ]), and diameter were obtained as a function of intraluminal pressure (P i ) in isolated cannulated gracilis muscle arterioles (diameter Ϸ120 m) of normotensive Wistar rats (WR) and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). In the absence of extracellular Ca 2ϩ , increases in P i from 20 to 160 mm Hg increased the passive diameter of arterioles without changes in R Ca . In the presence of extracellular Ca 2ϩ and endothelium, increases in P i elicited similar increases in R Ca (30Ϯ7% for control and 33Ϯ8% for SHR at 160 mm Hg) but a significantly (PϽ0.05) greater constriction of SHR arterioles compared with WR arterioles (at 160 mm Hg, 55Ϯ4% versus 38Ϯ2%, respectively, of passive diameter). In the absence of the endothelium, P i -induced changes in the R Ca and diameter of SHR and WR arterioles did not differ significantly. Also, a step increase in P i (from 80 to 140 mm Hg) elicited a similar increase in R Ca but greater constrictions in SHR versus WR arterioles. In the presence of the TxA 2 receptor inhibitor SQ29,548 and the ET A receptor inhibitor BQ123, there was no difference between responses of SHR and WR arterioles. In WR arterioles, increasing concentrations of KCl elicited a significant increase in R Ca (38Ϯ7% at 80 mmol/L) and completely constricted the arterioles. In contrast, constrictions to ET (52Ϯ7% at 3ϫ10 Ϫ12 mol/L) and the TxA 2 agonist U46619 (40Ϯ8% at 3ϫ10 Ϫ9 mol/L) were not accompanied by increases in R Ca at submaximal concentrations. Collectively, these findings suggest that in hypertension, endothelium-derived ET and PGH 2 /TxA 2 increase the Ca 2ϩ sensitivity of the contractile apparatus of arteriolar smooth muscle; thus, the similar increases in [Ca 2ϩ ] i in response to the elevation of intraluminal pressure elicit greater myogenic constriction.