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Received November 30, 2001
Accepted after revision February 7, 2002
1 Dept Physiological Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
2 Laboratoire de Biologie Moléculaire de la Différentiation, Paris VII University, Paris, France
3 Department of Physiological Sciences, Lund University, Tornavägen 10, BMC F11, S-221 84 Lund, Sweden
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: Anders.Arner{at}mphy.lu.se.
Protein composition and mechanical function of intermediate filaments were examined in arteries of different sizes using desmin deficient mice (Des-/-) and their wild-type controls (Des+/+). Using SDS-PAGE gels and Western blots we found a gradient in desmin expression in the arterial tree; the desmin content increased from the elastic artery aorta, via the muscular mesenteric artery to the resistance-sized mesenteric microarteries ~150 µm in diameter in Des+/+ mice. Mechanical experiments were performed on the aorta, the mesenteric artery and resistance-sized arteries using wire myographs. For aorta and mesenteric artery, no differences in passive or active circumference-stress relations were found between Des-/- and Des+/+ mice. In microarteries, both passive and active stress were lower in the Des-/- group. In conclusion, large elastic and muscular arteries contain a relatively low amount of desmin, and the desmin intermediate filaments do not seem to play a major role in the mechanical properties of these larger arterial vessels. In the microarteries, where expression of desmin is high, desmin plays a role in supporting both passive and active tension.
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