Influence of mechanical stretch on growth and protein turnover of rat uterus

A new technique has been developed and used to distend the uterus of nonpregnant rats for up to 5 days. Continuous distension of the saline-filled uterus induced rapid and extensive growth of the whole uterus and the myometrium by a combination of hyperplasia and hypertrophy. In both cases, 1 day after this imposition of mechanical stretch significant increases (25-50%) in the protein, RNA, and DNA contents were found, with larger changes (100-250%) being progressively expressed up to 5 days. This stretch-induced growth primarily results from a stimulation of protein synthesis (measured both in vivo and in vitro), with little or no change being evident in the rate of protein breakdown. These findings have been discussed in relation to the role of stretch in the growth of the uterus during pregnancy and stretch-induced responses found in other types of muscle.