It is generally agreed that intracellular Ca2+ stores, the sarco(endo)plasmic-reticulum (SER), affect Ca2+ homeostasis and thus contractility of vascular smooth muscle. There is, however, no general consensus as to the magnitude of the SER contribution to Ca2+ handling, the basis for isoforms of the SER Ca(2+)-ATPases (SERCAs) or the role of an SER-associated regulatory protein, phospholamban (PLB). Although the biochemical and cell biological roles of the SER have been intensely studied in vitro, the development of gene-targeted and transgenic mouse models enables one to extend our information to the in vivo levels. A brief review of the role of PLB and SERCA function in vascular and endothelial cell function is presented. Studies on the PLB gene-ablated mouse indicate that vascular contractility is considerably altered. This is mirrored by changes in intracellular Ca2+. Moreover, differences in contractility of the gene-ablated tissues are eliminated by treatment with cyclopiazonic acid, which pharmacologically abolishes SER function by inhibiting the Ca(2+)-ATPase. Thus PLB modulation of sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+ uptake plays a major role in modulating vascular contractility. It is interesting that endothelium-dependent relaxation was decreased in the PLB-deficient aorta. This is surprising in light of the PLB distribution, thought to be limited to cardiac, slow skeletal and smooth muscle. Our data indicate the presence of PLB in endothelial cells and point to an unrecognized pathway for modulation of endothelial cell [Ca2+]i and vascular contractility. Data from smooth muscle tissues of the SERCA3 gene-ablated mouse demonstrate that this isoform affects endothelium-dependent function, but not that of smooth muscle, consistent with its known distribution. This isoform appears to perform a modulatory function, rather than the more essential role of SERCA2. Gene-targeted and transgenic models provide an important avenue for understanding the role of SER in vascular signalling.