sphingosine-kinase and Urinary-Bladder--Overactive

We investigated the existence and regional distribution of sphingosine-1-phosphate regulatory enzymes and receptors in the lower urinary tract and determined the functional role of sphingosine-1-phosphate receptors in the bladder.. Lower urinary tract tissue from 10 female rats was harvested for real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction or organ bath physiology, whereas blood serum was obtained for high-performance liquid chromatography determination of sphingosine-1-phosphate levels. Statistical analysis included the Student t test and analysis of variance.. All 3 sphingosine-1-phosphate receptors and major enzymes were expressed throughout the lower urinary tract, but expression and physiologic force generation varied among regions. Sphingosine-1-phosphate was detected in serum.. We provide novel data that the sphingosine-1-phosphate signaling pathway regulatory proteins exist throughout the female rat lower urinary tract, but that relative expression exhibits regional heterogeneity corresponding with lower urinary tract contractile response to sphingosine-1-phosphate. Our study suggests that sphingosine-1-phosphate signaling is important in the lower urinary tract and identifies this pathway as a possible target for altering bladder smooth muscle tone.

Topics: Animals; Enzymes; Female; Genetic Heterogeneity; Lyases; Lysophospholipids; Muscle Contraction; Phosphotransferases (Alcohol Group Acceptor); Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Receptors, Lysosphingolipid; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; rho-Associated Kinases; Signal Transduction; Sphingosine; Urethra; Urinary Bladder; Urinary Bladder, Overactive