Figure 1

The expression of h1 calponin and phosphorylated h1 calponin during different stages of pregnancy in mice. Figure legend text Total protein extracted from the smooth muscle layer of mouse uterus was analyzed on SDS-PAGE and transferred to nitrocellulose membrane for western blotting with the anti-h1 calponin and anti-phosphorylated h1 calponin antibody. A: blots show the expression of h1 calponin and phosphorylated h1 calponin in the myometrium in different stages of pregnancy. B: columns from densitometry quantification of multiple western blots(means ± SD; n = 10) summarize the changes in the expression of h1 calponin and phosphorylated h1 calponin. C: curves from the ratio of phosphorylated h1 calponin to total h1 calponin. NP: non-pregnant; D7: Day 7 in pregnancy; D12: Day 12 in pregnancy; D17: Day 17 in pregnancy; D18: Day 18 in pregnancy; D19: Day 19 in pregnancy; IL: in labor; h1 Cap: h1 calponin; p- h1 Cap: phosphorylated h1 calponin .*: P < 0.05, compared with NP; **: P < 0.01, compared with NP; Δ: P < 0.05, compared with NP; ΔΔ: P < 0.01, compared with NP. Results demonstrated that total h1 calponin expression level gradually increased as the pregnancy progression, reached the peak before labor and continued until labor; the phosphorylation of h1 calponin expression levels increased gradually with the progress of pregnancy, reached the peak after labor. The ratio of phosphorylated h1 calponin to the total h1 calponin had no significant changes during pregnancy, but reached a peak after the onset of labor.