Rat Smoothelin (SMTN) ELISA Kit

Smooth muscle cells express a cytoskeletal protein called Smoothelin (SMTN) that has emerged as a specific marker of the fully differentiated contractile phenotype. The SMTN gene produces two isoforms through alternative transcription: a roughly 59 kDa short form (Smoothelin-A) characteristic of visceral smooth muscle, and a longer ~110 kDa form (Smoothelin-B) characteristic of vascular smooth muscle. Because SMTN expression is lost or strongly reduced when smooth muscle cells switch to a synthetic or proliferative state, measuring SMTN protein levels provides a quantitative readout of vascular remodeling, contractile-to-synthetic phenotype switching, and pathology in atherosclerosis, hypertension, and gastrointestinal motility models.

This Assay Genie rat ELISA kit is configured to quantify SMTN in rat tissue homogenates and cell lysates, supporting research in vascular smooth muscle biology and contractile phenotype regulation. The kit is supplied as a complete reagent set with a microplate and is intended for research use only. SMTN quantification by ELISA complements western blot and immunohistochemistry workflows when investigators characterize smooth muscle content or track phenotype switching across rat disease models.