Fimbriae (common pili) and flagella on the surface of bacterial cells. Left: dividing Shigella enclosed in fimbriae. The structures are probably involved in the bacterium's ability to adhere to the intestinal surface. Right: dividing pair of Salmonella displaying both its peritrichous flagella and its fimbriae.
Relaxin's peak is reached during the 14 weeks of the first trimester and at delivery. It is known to mediate the hemodynamic changes that occur during pregnancy, such as increased cardiac output, increased renal blood flow, and increased arterial compliance.
or lamb size at birth. Relaxin is a peptide hormone with partial structural homology to insulin. It is produced in abundant quantities in the ovaries of late pregnant pigs, and thus provides a source of relaxin for studies on reproduction in other farm animal species. Although the pig is a rich source of this hormone, only a single copy of the relaxin-like gene corresponds to part of the relaxin A-chain in sheep, and there is little evidence to support biosynthesis of the hormone in cattle. Relaxin remodels connective tissue by inducing cervical