Modulation of phospholipase C pathway and level of Gqalpha/G11alpha in rat myometrium during gestation

Phospholipase C (PLC) has been shown to modulate uterine contractility during pregnancy but the mechanisms of this pathway is still unknown. In a study of the rat myometrium, formation of [3H]inositol phosphates increased two- and threefold at the quiescent midgestation phase (day 12) and at the end of gestation (day 21), respectively, in the presence of carbachol. A similar increase was in inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate was observed in the presence of AlF4-. These increases were accompanied by an increase in the level of Gq family of proteins, particularly Gqalpha and G11alpha, in the myometrium at day 12 and day 21, and a 75% decrease at midgestation.