HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Novak, J. Articles by Conrad, K. P. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Novak, J. Articles by Conrad, K. P.

Evidence for local relaxin ligand-receptor expression and function in arteries

Jacqueline Novak^*, Laura J. Parry, Julianna E. Matthews^*, Laurie J. Kerchner^*, Kimberly Indovina^*, Karen Hanley-Yanez^*, Ketah D. Doty^*, Dan O. Debrah, Sanjeev G. Shroff and Kirk P. Conrad^*,,1

^* Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Magee-Women’s Research Institute, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA;

Department of Zoology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia;

Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; and

Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

¹Correspondence: Department of Physiology and Functional Genomics, University of Florida College of Medicine, 1600 SW Archer Rd., M552, P.O. Box 100274, Gainesville, FL 32610-0274, USA. E-mail: kpconrad{at}ufl.edu

Relaxin is a 6 kDa protein hormone produced by the corpus luteum and secreted into the blood during pregnancy in rodents and humans. Growing evidence indicates that circulating relaxin causes vasodilatation and increases in arterial compliance, which may be among its most important actions during pregnancy. Here we investigated whether there is local expression and function of relaxin and relaxin receptor in arteries of nonpregnant females and males. Relaxin-1 and its major receptor, Lgr7, mRNA are expressed in thoracic aortas, small renal and mesenteric arteries from mice and rats of both sexes, as well as in small renal arteries from female tammar wallabies (an Australian marsupial). Using available antibodies for rat and mouse Lgr7 receptor and rat relaxin, we also identified protein expression in arteries. Small renal arteries isolated from relaxin-1 gene-deficient mice demonstrate enhanced myogenic reactivity and decreased passive compliance relative to wild-type (WT) and heterozygous mice. Taken together, these findings reveal an arterial-derived, relaxin ligand-receptor system that acts locally to regulate arterial function.—Novak, J., Parry, L. J., Matthews, J. E., Kerchner, L. J., Indovina, K., Hanley-Yanez, K., Doty, K. D., Debrah, D. O., Shroff, S. G., Conrad, K. P. Evidence for local relaxin ligand-receptor expression and function in arteries.

Key Words: vascular biology • relaxin knockout mouse • vasodilation • myogenic reactivity • passive compliance

This article has been cited by other articles:

				A. Kern, D. Hubbard, A. Amano, and G. D. Bryant-Greenwood Cloning, Expression, and Functional Characterization of Relaxin Receptor (Leucine-Rich Repeat-Containing G Protein-Coupled Receptor 7) Splice Variants from Human Fetal Membranes Endocrinology, March 1, 2008; 149(3): 1277 - 1294. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. C. Baccari, S. Nistri, M. G. Vannucchi, F. Calamai, and D. Bani Reversal by relaxin of altered ileal spontaneous contractions in dystrophic (mdx) mice through a nitric oxide-mediated mechanism Am J Physiol Regulatory Integrative Comp Physiol, August 1, 2007; 293(2): R662 - R668. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]