Project description:Endothelin-1 (ET-1) plays a critical role in connective tissue remodeling by fibroblasts during tissue repair and fibrosis. We investigated the molecular pathways in the transmission of ET-1 signals that lead to features of connective tissue remodeling, in particular the role of FAK (focal adhesion kinase). We used microarrays to investigated whether FAK is required for ET-1 to promote the global programme of gene expression underlying myofibroblast formation and identified distinct classes of up-regulated genes during this process. Genes whose induction by ET-1 required FAK Affymetrix Mouse Genome 430 2.0 GeneChips were used to identify differential gene expression changes bewteen samples.
