The expression and function of small stress proteins in uterine smooth muscle during pregnancy

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The uterus is a female organ that houses the developing fetus during pregnancy. This organ contains a smooth muscle component named the myometrium and during pregnancy the myometrium goes through a program of differentiation. The rat has been well utilized as an animal model to study this myometrial programming. During rat pregnancy the myometrium is characterized by a Proliferative Phase, a Synthetic Phase, a Contractile Phase, a Labour Phase, and lastly, a post-partum Involution Phase. Each one of these phases of differentiation is characterized by changes in the muscle cells at the molecular and cellular level. Overall, the consequence of this whole process is the production of a tissue that can generate precisely coordinated and powerful contractions (labour) to ensure the timely delivery of a term fetus whose organ systems are sufficiently mature for survival outside the uterus.