BACKGROUND: Substance P (SP) is a peptide neurotransmitter found in central and peripheral nerves. SP is involved in the control of smooth muscle, inflammation and nociception. The amino acid sequence of SP is…
There is a significant unmet need for treatments of patients with acute lung injury (ALI) and/or acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). The primary mechanism that leads to resolution of alveolar and pulmonary edema is active vectorial Na(+) and…
The NK(3) subtype of tachykinin receptor is a G protein-coupled receptor that is a potential therapeutic target for several neurological diseases, including schizophrenia. In this study, we have screened compound databases for novel NK(3) receptor…
The tachykinin NK(3) receptor (NK(3)R) is a novel drug target for schizophrenia and drug abuse. Since few non-peptide antagonists of this G protein-coupled receptor are available, we have initiated this study to gain a better understanding of the…
Previous studies have shown that tachykinin peptide ligands of the tachykinin NK1 receptor exhibit functional selectivity with respect to signal activation and desensitization. The differences are most dramatic between the naturally occurring…
A cascade of events follows binding of an agonist ligand to the tachykinin NK(1) receptor. These events include activation of multiple signal transduction pathways as well as cellular modulation of receptor function by the process of desensitization.…
Research on the design of compounds to selectively affect specific subsets of signals downstream of receptors has burgeoned lately, and several reports discussed at Experimental Biology 2005 indicate progress is being made in the understanding of…
Behavioral assays of the responses to psychomotor stimulants can be used to model certain aspects of CNS pathologies such as psychosis and addiction. However, species-dependent differences in the effects of neuromodulators in these assays can…
