Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 3, 2026

Balloon-based Injury to Induce Myointimal Hyperplasia in the Mouse Abdominal Aorta
Published on: February 7, 2018
Pregnancy-Induced Physiologic Adaptation of the Abdominal Aorta Is Associated with Changes in Gene Expression and
Background/Aims:
Ten-eleven translocation 2 (Tet2), a DNA demethylase enzyme, has been identified as a master epigenetic regulator of vascular smooth muscle cell plasticity. We hypothesized that pregnancy will induce significant adaptive changes in aortic biomechanics that correlate with the Tet family gene expression.
Methods:
Abdominal aortas from pregnant and nonpregnant mice were dissected and cannulated. Intraluminal pressure was adjusted using a pressure-servo system while using a video dimension analyzer to measure the lumen diameter. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction and immunoblot was used to analyze the expression of Tet genes. Global genomic methylation was assessed with the luminometric methylation assay.
Results:
Compared to the nonpregnant (NP, 706 ± 8 µm) control group, the aortic luminal diameter was significantly increased in both E18.5 (836 ± 14 µm) and PP30 (889 ± 16 µm) mice. Distensibility was reduced in E18.5 (90 ± 4%) mice and returned to NP values (108 ± 2%) in PP30 (108 ± 3%) mice. Tet2 transcription decreased at the beginning of pregnancy and subsequently increased in late gestation, inversely corresponding to changes in global methylation.
Conclusion:
Physiologic changes in the aorta were accompanied by changes in gene expression and genomic methylation, suggesting an epigenetic component to maternal vascular remodeling during pregnancy.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Abdominal Aorta
The celiac trunk, a singular artery, divides into the left gastric artery, which...
What is Gene Expression?
Gene expression is the process in which DNA directs the synthesis of functional products, that is, proteins. Cells can regulate gene expression at various stages. It allows organisms to generate different cell types and enables cells to adapt to internal and external factors.
Genetic Information Flows from DNA to RNA to Protein
A gene is a stretch of DNA that serves as the blueprint for functional RNAs and proteins. Since DNA is made up of nucleotides and proteins consist of amino...
What is Gene Expression?
Genome Size and the Evolution of New Genes
Genomic Imprinting and Inheritance
The expression of some genes depends on which parent passed the gene to the offspring, through a phenomenon known as...
Cell Specific Gene Expression

