Summary
Some recent progress in endothelin (ET) research is reviewed. Numerous antagonists for ETA/ETB receptors and endothelin (ET) analogues have been developed recently and used to elucidate the roles of ET-receptor subtypes in vascular and non-vascular systems and in the physiological and pathophysiological effects of ET. Concurrently, the intracellular signalling pathways stimulated by ET have become better characterised. For instance, activation of MAP kinase is involved in the mitotic action of ET and ET-1 induces the expression of COX-2. Most interestingly, the cDNA for endothelin-converting enzyme (ECE) has been cloned recently by several laboratories and this will greatly assist in establishing the true structure and function of ECE. Initial gene knock-out experiments have also shown that ET-1 and ETA receptors are important for normal pharyngeal development in mice. Finally, ET-1 has been implicated in numerous pathologies. For instance, ET-1 and ETA receptors are abundantly produced in pulmonary tissues and ET-1 may play an important role in the development of pulmonary hypertension.
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© 1995 Birkhäuser Verlag Basel/Switzerland
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Warner, T.D. et al. (1995). Endothelins: Recent Progress. In: Cuello, A.C., Collier, B. (eds) Pharmacological Sciences: Perspectives for Research and Therapy in the Late 1990s. Birkhäuser Basel. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-0348-7218-8_31
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-0348-7218-8_31
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