Stretch-induced contractile differentiation of vascular smooth muscle: sensitivity to actin polymerization inhibitors.
Signaling mechanisms for stretch-dependent growth and differentiation of vascular smooth muscle were investigated in mechanically loaded rat portal veins in organ culture. Stretch-dependent protein synthesis was found to depend on endogenous release of angiotensin II. Autoradiography after [35S]methionine incorporation revealed stretch-dependent synthesis of several proteins, of which SM22 and act
