title: Up-regulation of rho A and rho-kinase mRNAs in the rat myometrium during pregnancy.
abstract: It has recently been suggested that rho A and rho kinase (ROK) play a role in the increase in the Ca2+ sensitivity of the smooth muscle myofilaments. In the present study, we investigated the mRNA expressions of rho A and two types of ROK (alpha and beta) in the myometrium obtained from both non-pregnant and pregnant rats. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) experiments using total RNA from these tissue specimens and the specific primers revealed rho A and both types of ROK mRNAs to be expressed in the rat myometrium. The mRNA expressions of rho A, ROK alpha and ROK beta in the pregnant myometrium were found to increase in comparison to those in the non-pregnant myometrium. These results thus support the idea that the up-regulation of these proteins might be involved in the mechanism underlying the increased contractility of the pregnant myometrium.
authors.affiliation: Division of Molecular Cardiology, Research Institute of Angiocardiology, Faculty of Medicine, Kyushu University, Japan.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Niiro
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nishimura
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sakihara
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nakano
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kanaide
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D017931:DNA Primers; D005260:Female; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000737:chemistry; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009215:Myometrium / Q000378:metabolism*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011247:Pregnancy; D011270:Pregnancy, Animal / Q000378:metabolism*; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis; D051381:Rats; D011921:Rats, Inbred WKY; D012016:Reference Values; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D054460:rho-Associated Kinases; D020742:rhoA GTP-Binding Protein
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D054460:rho-Associated Kinases; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins; D020742:rhoA GTP-Binding Protein