A bronchial epithelium-derived factor reduces pulmonary vascular tone in the newborn rat.

The factors accounting for the maintenance of a low pulmonary vascular resistance postnatally are not completely understood. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that bronchial epithelium produces a factor capable of relaxing adjacent pulmonary arterial smooth muscle. We studied fourth-generation intralobar pulmonary arteries and bronchi of 4- to 8-day-old rats. Arteries were mounted on a wire myograph, alone or with the adjacent bronchus. The presence of the attached bronchus significantly reduced pulmonary artery force generation induced by the thromboxane analog (U-46619) or KCl whether the endothelium was present or absent (P < 0.01). The converse was not true in that bronchial force generation was not affected when studied with the adjacent pulmonary artery. Mechanical removal of the bronchial epithelium or addition of the nitric oxide (NO) synthase (NOS) nonspecific (N(G)-monomethyl-l-arginine) or the specific neuronal NOS (7-nitroindazole) inhibitors increased arterial force generation to levels comparable to the isolated artery preparation. Wortmannin, a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitor, significantly decreased (P < 0.01) NO release of pulmonary arteries only when the adjacent bronchus was present. We conclude that bronchial epithelium in the newborn rat produces a factor capable of lowering pulmonary vascular muscle tone. This relaxant effect can be suppressed by NOS and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase kinase inhibition, suggesting an action via NOS phosphorylation and NO release. We speculate that such a mechanism may be operative in vivo and plays an important role in control of pulmonary vascular resistance in the early postnatal period.     

Role of cGMP in relaxation of vascular and other smooth muscle

The hypothesis that the relaxant action of many drugs on vascular and other smooth muscle is mediated by increases in intracellular cGMP, the "cGMP hypothesis," is gaining wide acceptance. While much information supporting this idea can be found in the literature, there is also a significant amount of information indicating that an elevation in the tissue content of cGMP is by itself insufficient to cause smooth muscle relaxation. The literature is reviewed with reference to the criteria that need to be fulfilled to consider cGMP as the second messenger mediating relaxation of smooth muscle by a drug; i.e., activation of guanylate cyclase, elevation of tissue content of cGMP, potentiation by phosphodiesterase inhibitors, antagonism by inhibitors of cGMP synthesis, and production of relaxation by cGMP analogues. For each criterion, key observations supporting the hypothesis are considered, followed by examples of important observations not consistent with the hypothesis. It is concluded that in some smooth muscles, for example, rat myometrium and vas deferens, cGMP is not a mediator of drug-induced relaxation. In other smooth muscles, including vascular smooth muscle, cGMP appears to play an important role in the relaxation process; but current evidence suggests that other factors are also important and that the cGMP hypothesis may need to be modified.     

Study of Mechanisms of Relaxation in Rat Blood Vessels Differing by Density and Innervation Type

The work deals with a study of physiological significance of relaxation mechanisms initiated by stimulation of -adrenoreceptors and NO-dependent pathways as well as of participation of cyclic nucleotide signal pathways in dilatation of rat blood vessels with different density and type of nervous regulation: of thoracic aorta with poorly developed adrenergic vasoconstrictional innervation, of tail artery with well-developed adrenergic vasoconstrictional innervation, and of portal vein with adrenergic and cholinergic vasoconstrictional innervation. Isometric contraction of 1-mm wide vascular rings produced by electrostimulation or action of exogenous selective antagonists (phenylephrine for ₁-adrenoreceptors of all three vessels and 5-methylformetide for muscarinic cholinergic receptors of portal vein) was recorded using a laboratory-made highly sensitive device. From relaxants, isoproterenol, sodium nitroprusside, forskolin, and isobutylmethylxanthine were used. As a result of the performed study with use of substances affecting various chains of processes providing relaxation of smooth muscle contractile apparatus of blood vessels with different degree of development of nervous regulation, we have obtained data that indicate heterogeneity of intracellular mechanisms of transmission of external signal realizing the contractionndash;relaxation cycle in these vessels.     

Mechanics of caudal artery relaxation in control and hypertensive rats

Alterations of smooth muscle function can just as easily stem from mechanical alterations in its ability to relax as from alteration in contraction. Since a failure of arterial smooth muscle to relax may contribute to the development of hypertension, we felt it necessary to study the relaxation process in greater depth. The effect of load on the time course of relaxation of rat caudal artery smooth muscle was analyzed either by comparing afterloaded contractions against various loads or by imposing abrupt alterations in load. Unlike mammalian striated muscles in which relaxation was reported sensitive to loading conditions, relaxation in the smooth muscle of the rat caudal artery (n = 17) was found to be largely independent of loading conditions. This type of relaxation has been termed "inactivation-dependent" relaxation; it is typical of muscle tissue in which the calcium sequestering apparatus is poorly developed. Our results suggest that calcium resequestration, or some biochemical process downstream to it, is the rate-limiting step during relaxation in arterial smooth muscle and that this is not qualitatively different for hypertensive arterial smooth muscle. These analytic techniques were used in the study of relaxation of hypertensive vessels. Quantitative analysis of the relaxation curves showed that both isometric and isotonic relaxation time was prolonged in hypertensive arterial smooth muscle. Prolonged isotonic relaxation indicates that hypertensive arteries remain narrowed for prolonged periods compared with normotensive vessels. Such narrowed vessels may be a factor in the increased total peripheral resistance seen in genetic hypertension.     

Airway epithelial-derived factor relaxes pulmonary vascular smooth muscle

The factors controlling the pulmonary vascular resistance under physiological conditions are poorly understood. We have previously reported on an apparent cross talk between the airway and adjacent pulmonary arterial bed where a factor likely derived from the bronchial epithelial cells reduced the magnitude of agonist-stimulated force in the vascular smooth muscle. The main purpose of this investigation was to evaluate whether bronchial epithelial cells release a pulmonary arterial smooth muscle relaxant factor. Conditioned media from SPOC-1 or BEAS-2B, a rat- and a human-derived bronchial epithelial cell line, respectively, were utilized. This media significantly relaxed precontracted adult but not fetal pulmonary arterial muscle in an oxygen tension-dependent manner. This response was mediated via soluble guanylate cyclase, involving AKT/PI3-kinase and neuronal nitric oxide synthase. Airway epithelial cell-conditioned media increased AKT phosphorylation in pulmonary smooth muscle cells (SMC) and reduced intracellular calcium change following ATP stimulation to a significantly greater extent than observed for bronchial SMC. The present data strongly support the evidence for bronchial epithelial cells releasing a stable and soluble factor capable of inducing pulmonary arterial SMC relaxation. We speculate that under physiological conditions, the maintenance of a low pulmonary vascular resistance, postnatally, is in part modulated by the airway epithelium.     

Developmental changes in arginase expression and activity in the lung

Arginases compete with nitric oxide (NO) synthases for L-arginine as common substrate. Pulmonary vascular and airway diseases in which arginase activity is increased are associated with decreased NO production and reduced smooth muscle relaxation. The developmental patterns of arginase activity and type I and II isoforms expression in the lung have not been previously evaluated. Hypothesizing that lung arginase activity is developmentally regulated and highest in the fetus, we measured the expression of both arginase isoforms and total arginase activity in fetal, newborn, and adult rat lung, pulmonary artery, and bronchial tissue. In addition, intrapulmonary arterial muscle force generation was evaluated in the absence and presence of the arginase inhibitor Nomega-hydroxy-nor-L-arginine (nor-NOHA). Arginase II content, as well as total arginase activity, was highest in fetal rat lung, bronchi, and pulmonary arterial tissue and decreased with age (P<0.05), and its lung cell expression was developmentally regulated. In the presence of nor-NOHA, pulmonary arterial force generation was significantly reduced in fetus and newborn (P<0.01). No significant change in force generation was noted in bronchial tissue following arginase inhibition. In conclusion, arginase II is regulated developmentally, and both expression and activity are maximal during fetal life. We speculate that the maintenance of a high pulmonary vascular resistance and decreased lung NO production prenatally may, in part, be dependent on increased arginase expression and/or activity.     

大鼠肺动脉平滑肌培养细胞内Ca~(2+)反应的多样性

用Ｃａ２＋荧光色素Ｆｌｏｕ－３／ＡＭ负荷原代培养的大鼠肺动脉平滑肌细胞,在共聚焦激光显微镜下观察细胞内Ｃａ２＋对各种缩血管物质反应的非均一性。实验结果提示：各种Ｃａ２＋通道的反应与细胞培养时间相关。８０％以上的Ｃａ２＋贮库具有ＣＩＣＲＣａ２＋通道,在肺血管管平滑肌细胞可能存在一种只具有ＣＩＣＲ通道的Ｃａ２＋贮库,ＣＩＣＲ的Ｃａ２＋释放作用强于ＩＣＲＣａ２＋通道     

Dirofilaria immitis: heartworm infection alters pulmonary artery endothelial cell behavior

Mupanomunda, Maria, Jeffrey F. Williams, Charles D. Mackenzie, and Lana Kaiser. Dirofilaria immitis:heartworm infection alters pulmonary artery endothelial cell behavior.J. Appl. Physiol. 82(2): 389-398, 1997.Thepathogenesis of filariasis has generally been attributed to eitherphysical presence of the adult parasites or the host's immune responseto the parasites. However, the spectrum of filariasis cannot beentirely explained by these causes, and other mechanisms must beoperative. It is now evident that factors released by filarialparasites likely contribute to the pathogenesis of filarial diseases.Adult heartworms (Dirofilaria immitis) reside in the rightheart and pulmonary artery, so the pulmonary artery should be exposedto the highest concentration of filarial factors. We tested thehypothesis that endothelium-dependent relaxation is altered in the invitro pulmonary artery from heartworm-infected dogs. Relaxationresponses to endothelium-dependent vasodilators (methacholine,bradykinin, substance P, and A-23187) and the non-endothelium-dependent vasodilator nitroglycerin and contractile responses were measured inrings of pulmonary artery from control and heartworm-infected dogs.Endothelium-dependent relaxation was assessed in the presence andabsence of inhibitors of nitric oxide synthase, cyclooxygenase, andguanylate cyclase. Responses to methacholine, substance P, and A-23187,but not to bradykinin, nitroglycerin, norepinephrine, or KCl, weredepressed in pulmonary artery from heartworm-infected dogs whencompared with control, suggesting that changes in endothelial cell andnot vascular smooth muscle behavior are involved in altered relaxation.The mechanism of endothelium-dependent relaxation in control pulmonaryartery appears to involve nitric oxide in the case of methacholine andboth nitric oxide and a cyclooxygenase product in the case ofbradykinin and A-23187. The mechanism of endothelium-dependentrelaxation in pulmonary artery from heartworm-infected dogs was notclearly elucidated. These data provide no evidence that heartworminfection globally influences either endothelial cell receptor functionor the vascular smooth muscle guanylate cyclase guanosine 3,5-cyclicmonophosphate system, making it likely that changes in intracellularsignaling are primarily responsible for the observed alteration ofendothelium-mediated relaxation. Alteration of endothelial cellfunction by filarial parasites may be an important component inthe pathology associated with filariasis.

     

Relaxant activity of atriopeptins in isolated guinea pig airway and vascular smooth muscle

Atriopeptins are circulating peptide hormones which are secreted by atrial tissue and act at the kidney. Because the atriopeptins survive passage through the pulmonary circulation, they also may be involved in the modulation of airway or pulmonary vascular smooth muscle tone. Using in vitro organ bath techniques, atriopeptins were found to induce potent concentration-dependent relaxation of isolated guinea pig trachea, and pulmonary artery with a rank order of potency: atriopeptin III greater than atriopeptin II greater than atriopeptin I. Atriopeptin-induced smooth muscle relaxation was observed to be a direct response since it was not mediated by activation of relaxant VIP receptors, beta-adrenergic receptors, or H2 receptors nor affected by cyclooxygenase inhibition or denuding of the vasculature or trachea of endothelial and epithelial cells. The time course of atriopeptin II-induced relaxation of the pulmonary artery was transient in contrast to the prolonged relaxations on the trachea. The transient relaxant responses of atriopeptin II on pulmonary artery were not due to metabolism of atriopeptin II to atriopeptin I by angiotensin-converting enzyme since pretreatment with captopril did not augment the response. These results seem to indicate that distinct atriopeptin receptors may exist in airway and pulmonary arterial smooth muscle and that activation of these relaxant receptors may play an important role in the regulation of pulmonary vascular and bronchomotor tone.     

Dextromethorphan Mediated Bitter Taste Receptor Activation in the Pulmonary Circuit Causes Vasoconstriction

Activation of bitter taste receptors (T2Rs) in human airway smooth muscle cells leads to muscle relaxation and bronchodilation. This finding led to our hypothesis that T2Rs are expressed in human pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells and might be involved in regulating the vascular tone. RT-PCR was performed to reveal the expression of T2Rs in human pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells. Of the 25 T2Rs, 21 were expressed in these cells. Functional characterization was done by calcium imaging after stimulating the cells with different bitter agonists. Increased calcium responses were observed with most of the agonists, the largest increase seen for dextromethorphan. Previously in site-directed mutational studies, we have characterized the response of T2R1 to dextromethorphan, therefore, T2R1 was selected for further analysis in this study. Knockdown with T2R1 specific shRNA decreased mRNA levels, protein levels and dextromethorphan-induced calcium responses in pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells by up to 50%. To analyze if T2Rs are involved in regulating the pulmonary vascular tone, ex vivo studies using pulmonary arterial and airway rings were pursued. Myographic studies using porcine pulmonary arterial and airway rings showed that stimulation with dextromethorphan led to contraction of the pulmonary arterial and relaxation of the airway rings. This study shows that dextromethorphan, acting through T2R1, causes vasoconstrictor responses in the pulmonary circuit and relaxation in the airways.     

Chronic O2 exposure enhances vascular and airway smooth muscle contraction in the newborn but not adult rat.

Neonatal rats exposed to 60% O(2) for 14 days develop lung changes compatible with human bronchopulmonary dysplasia and pulmonary hypertension. Our aim was to evaluate and compare the newborn and adult rat pulmonary vascular and airway smooth muscle force generation and relaxation potential after exposure to 60% O(2) for 14 days. Vascular and airway intrapulmonary rings 100 microm in diameter were mounted on a myograph and bathed in Krebs-Henseleit solution bubbled with air- 6% CO(2) at 37 degrees C. Significant age-dependent changes in intrapulmonary arteries and their neighboring airway muscle properties were observed. Whereas hyperoxia enhanced force in neonatal vascular and airway muscle, the opposite was seen in adult samples. No changes in endothelium-dependent vascular relaxation were observed at either age, but the dose response to an endothelium-independent NO donor was altered. In the newborn experimental animals, the relaxation was reduced, whereas, in their adult counterparts, it was enhanced. After O(2) exposure, the bronchial muscle relaxation response to epithelium-dependent and -independent stimulation was not altered in either age group, whereas the epithelium-dependent response was decreased only in the adult. The antioxidant Trolox, or an endothelin-A and -B receptor antagonist, reversed the vascular and airway muscle's hyperoxia-induced changes. We conclude that chronic O(2) exposure in the newborn rat results in enhanced lung vascular and airway muscle contraction potential via a mechanism involving reactive oxygen species and the endothelin pathway. The present findings also suggest that the newborn is more susceptible to airway hyperresponsiveness after chronic O(2) exposure.     

Heat shock protein expression in umbilical artery smooth muscle

Postpartum vasospasm in the umbilical arteries may be due to impaired vasorelaxation secondary to alterations in the expression of heat shock proteins. The contractile responses of pre- and full-term bovine umbilical artery smooth muscles were determined in a muscle bath. Heat shock protein expression was determined in bovine and human arterial tissues using western blotting with specific antisera. Full-term bovine and human umbilical artery smooth muscle was refractory to relaxation induced by the nitric oxide donor, sodium nitroprusside. This impaired vasorelaxation was associated with the expression of the inducible form of the heat shock protein, HSP70i, and increases in the expression of the small heat shock protein, HSP27. Small heat shock proteins have been implicated in modulating contraction and relaxation responses in vascular smooth muscles. Thus, alterations in heat shock protein expression may play a role in umbilical artery vasospasm.     

Vasorelaxant effect in rat aortic rings through calcium channel blockage: A preliminary in vitro assessment of a 1,3,4-oxadiazole derivative

The study was undertaken on the basis of several reports in the literature that relaxation of vascular smooth muscles is a good treatment strategy in hypertension, angina and other cardiovascular disorders. Oxadiazoles have been reported to have effect on vascular smooth muscles and calcium influx. The goals of our current in vitro study were to investigate the effect of a 1,3,4-oxadiazole derivative on vascular smooth muscles in rat aorta, and to elucidate the associated signaling pathway. NOX-1 induced a relaxation of vascular smooth muscles in both endothelium intact and denuded rat aortic rings precontracted with norepinephrine or phenylephrine or KCl. NOX-1 also significantly antagonized cumulative dose-response effect of norepinephrine, phenylephrine, KCl or calcium with reduction in submaximal contractions. Verapamil, an L-type of calcium channel blocker, effectively attenuated phenylephrine and calcium induced contractions in aortic rings. Incubation with NOX-1 and verapamil did not significantly alter the dose-response curve of phenylephrine or calcium compared to verapamil treatment alone indicating L-type Ca²⁺ channel blockage leads to loss of NOX-1 activity. Hence it can be concluded NOX-1 exhibited vasorelaxant action by inhibiting calcium influx from extracellular space to intracellular space through L-type of calcium channels.     

Signaling regulatory mechanisms of the contractile activity of smooth muscle

A comparative model been designed to study a contribution of proteinkinase C-(PKC)-activated intracellular signaling pathways in generation of different contractile responses of vascular (tonic) and visceral (phasic) smooth muscles. We have determined that, in tonic smooth muscle, PKC mediates activation of MAP-kinases that phosphorylate key regulatory proteins of the contractile system, myosin light chain kinase and caldesmon, leading to upregulation of actomyosine motor activity. In contrast, the MAP-kinase activation is uncoupled from the contractile machinery in phasic smooth muscles, which also reveal high levels of myosin light chain kinase-related protein KRP that contributes to relaxation. Phosphorylation of KRP following activation of PKC or cyclic nucleotide-dependent protein kinases enhances the KRP activity and further contributes to relaxion in phasic smooth muscle. A possibility is discussed for exploitation of the comparative model described herein for investigation of specific role of other regulatory intracellular pathways in generation of vascular tonic contraction.     

Electron microscopic and histochemical characterization of intra-arterial cushions of the rat and porcine uterine vascular bed

Scanning and transmission electron microscopic studies, together with histochemical investigations, were conducted on rat and porcine intra-arterial cushions from the uterine vascular bed. In the rat, the fine structure of these cushions closely resembled that previously described in the rat kidney. The cushions were composed of modified smooth muscle, circularly disposed in an incomplete, raised band surrounding the entrance to arterial branches. These muscle cells projected as attenuated processes throughout the loosely organized, PAS-positive stroma, and established close contact with thin endothelial extensions projecting from the base of the surface endothelial cells. Scanning electron microscopic observations of furrows on the endothelial surface gave rise to the suggestion that such contacts might mediate muscular control of endothelial surface topology. In similar cushions from the pig uterine artery, the smooth muscle of the cushions was much more compactly organized, and was disposed radially, rather than circumferentially, within the cushion structure. The enzyme histochemical profile of porcine cushions did not differ appreciably from that of normal vascular smooth muscle and endothelium, suggesting the maintenance of a metabolic similarity with adjacent tissues. These studies clarify the fine-structural basis for recently reported contraction and relaxation of uterine artery cushions during ischemia and perfusion of the rat uterine vascular bed, and thus, for their functional role in the regulation of uterine vascular flow.     

Cooling is a potent vasodilator of deep vessels in the rat.

The objectives of this study were to determine the effect of cooling on smooth muscle tone of the pulmonary artery and aorta and to clarify the basic mechanism of these responses. We recorded isometric tension in smooth muscle strips of rat pulmonary artery and aorta in organ baths during stepwise cooling. Cooling responses were tested before and after the addition of various standard agents that interfere with known neurogenic (autonomic blockers, tetrodotoxin) and myogenic mechanisms (calcium channel blockers) of relaxation. We also examined the hypothesis of the presence of a cooling-released substance. Stepwise cooling (37degrees C to 4 degrees C) of aortic smooth muscle induced reproducible graded relaxations that were inversely proportional to temperature. Cooling-induced relaxation was not dependent on a neural mechanism nor the release of neurotransmitters or a cooling-released substance such as NO or CO. Cooling of pulmonary arterial and aortic smooth muscle preparations induced a graded myogenic relaxation inversely proportional to the cooling temperature. The mechanism is not dependent on local nervous or known mediators but related to a direct physico-chemical effect of cooling.     

Effects of alpha calcitonin gene-related peptide in human bronchial smooth muscle and pulmonary artery

Although airway and pulmonary vessel tone are regulated predominantly by cholinergic and adrenergic impulses, biologically active peptides such as calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) may significantly influence human smooth muscle tone in normal and pathophysiological states. In the present study, the expression of CGRP and its receptor CGRPR-1 and the biological effect of the peptide were investigated in human airways and pulmonary arteries. Immunohistochemistry revealed the presence of CGRP in human airway nerves and neuro-epithelial cells, whereas the receptor was found in epithelial cells and smooth muscle myocytes of the bronchi and in pulmonary artery endothelium. On precontracted bronchi (3-4 mm in diameter) alpha-CGRP (0.01-10 nM) caused a concentration-dependent contraction on epithelium-denuded bronchi, whereas no significant effect was recorded in bronchi with intact epithelium. In pulmonary arteries (2-6 mm in diameter), alpha-CGRP caused a concentration-dependent relaxation of endothelium intact and denuded vessels. Pre-treatment with indomethacin, but not with l-NAME, prevented the relaxation induced by alpha-CGRP in pulmonary arteries suggesting that prostaglandins but not nitric oxide (NO) are involved in the intracellular signal transduction pathway. The effects induced by alpha-CGRP in bronchi and vessels were prevented by application of the antagonist CGRP((8-37)). In summary, the present studies examined the biological function of CGRP in human airways and demonstrated a constrictory effect of CGRP only in epithelium-denuded airway smooth muscle indicating an alteration of CGRP airway effects in respiratory tract pathological states with damaged epithelium such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or bronchial asthma.     

钙激活氯离子通道对大鼠肺动脉张力的调节作用

目的：研究钙激活氯离子通道及其通道阻断剂尼氟灭酸（niflumic acid,NFA）、indaryloxyacetic acid（IAA-94）在苯福林（phenylephrine,PE）引起的肺动脉收缩中的作用。方法：常规离体血管灌流法检测肺动脉环张力;采用钙荧光探针（Fura-2／AM）负载急性酶分离法（胶原酶Ⅰ型和木瓜蛋白酶）获得的大鼠肺动脉平滑肌细胞（PASMCs）,观察NFA和IAA-94对PE诱导的PASMCs胞浆游离钙离子浓度（[Ca^2＋]i）的影响,用荧光分光光度计法检测[Ca^2＋]i。结果：钙激活氯离子通道阻断剂NFA和IAA-94可以舒张PE引起的肺动脉环收缩;NFA和IAA-94对KCl引起的血管收缩无影响;PE可以引起[Ca^2＋]i升高,NFA和IAA-94对PE诱导[Ca^2＋]i升高无影响。结论：钙激活氯离子通道在生理状态下与血管活性药（PE）引起的肺动脉张力变化有关,这为研究其在低氧肺血管收缩中的作用提供了新的线索。     

Transduction of phosphorylated heat shock-related protein 20, HSP20, prevents vasospasm of human umbilical artery smooth muscle.

Activation of cyclic nucleotide-dependent signaling pathways inhibits agonist-induced contraction of most vascular smooth muscles except human umbilical artery smooth muscle (HUASM). This impaired vasorelaxation may contribute to complications associated with preeclampsia, intrauterine growth restriction, and preterm delivery. Cyclic nucleotide-dependent signaling pathways converge at the phosphorylation of the small heat shock-related protein HSP20, causing relaxation of vascular smooth muscle. We produced recombinant proteins containing a protein transduction domain linked to HSP20 (rTAT-HSP20). Pretreatment of HUASM with in vitro phosphorylated rTAT-HSP20 (rTAT-pHSP20) significantly inhibited serotonin-induced contraction, without a decrease in myosin light chain phosphorylation. rTAT-pHSP20 remained phosphorylated upon transduction into isolated HUASM as demonstrated by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Transduction of peptide analogs of phospho-HSP20 containing the phosphorylation site on HSP20 and phosphatase-resistant mimics of the phosphorylation site (S16E) also inhibited HUASM contraction. These data suggest that impaired relaxation of HUASM may result from decreased levels of phosphorylated HSP20. Protein transduction can be used to restore intracellular expression levels and the associated physiological response. Transduction of posttranslationally modified substrate proteins represents a proteomic-based therapeutic approach that may be particularly useful when the expression of downstream substrate proteins is downregulated.