Fibronectin biosynthesis in the rat aorta in vitro. Changes due to experimental hypertension

This study was undertaken to determine if changes in fibronectin biosynthesis accompany the phenotypic changes that occur in aortic tissue following experimental hypertension. An in vitro procedure was developed to measure fibronectin synthesis in aortic rings obtained from normotensive or hypertensive rats. There was a three to sixfold increase in fibronectin biosynthesis by aortic rings taken from rats treated with deoxycorticosterone/salt for 7 and 21 d, the change being more pronounced at 21 d. In contrast, there was no major change at either time point in net incorporation into total protein. Studies comparing fibronectin biosynthesis in aortic rings from Wistar rats and spontaneously hypertensive rats at ages between 10 and 40 wk showed increased fibronectin biosynthesis in older animals of both strains, but only slight differences between strains. Studies using rats infused with angiotensin II showed a correlation between blood pressure elevation and increased aortic fibronectin biosynthesis. Western blot analysis of aortic extracts showed that the fibronectin content was increased in the hypertensive models. The in vitro procedure for measuring fibronectin biosynthesis appears to provide a reliable reflection of in vivo changes in fibronectin expression, and the methodology could prove useful for studying the factors influencing protein expression in vascular tissue.