Stimulation with PE led to a 69%±16% increase in cell size (Fig. 1A and1B) and to a 138±20% increase in the activity of the promoter of BNP (Fig. 1C), a gene critically involved in the pathology of cardiac hypertrophy (we use the term “BNP” to refer to the gene alternately called “pre-pro-BNP” or “Nppb”). This evidence concerns the gene NPPB and cardiac hypertrophy.