Recent experiments have led to the unexpected finding that endothelin-3 and the endothelin B receptor are absolutely necessary for the development of the enteric nervous system in the colon, but it is not yet clear why.

Recent gene targeting studies have revealed unexpected roles for endothelins in the development of neural crest-derived tissues. Endothelin converting enzyme-1 (ECE-1) catalyzes the proteolytic activation of big endothelin-1 to endothelin-1(ET-1) in vitro. However, the importance of ECE-1 cleavage in the multiple endothelin pathways in vivo is unknown. Here we generated a targeted null mutation...

OBJECTIVE To examine the hypothesis that insulin and insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) attenuate endothelin-induced contraction of porcine coronary epicardial arteries in vitro. BACKGROUND Endothelin-induced coronary vasoconstriction is mediated by two types of receptors, A (ETA) and B (ETB), resulting in calcium influx. Both insulin and IGF-I attenuate endothelin-induced calcium influx in...

IgA nephropathy is the most common primary glomerulonephritis worldwide and carries a substantial risk of kidney failure. New agency-approved therapies, either specifically for or chronic disease in general, hold out hope mitigating renal deterioration patients with nephropathy. The latest addition to this therapeutic armamentarium targets endothelin-A receptor (ETAR). Activation ETAR on multip...

Endothelin receptor antagonists are used to treat idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH), but human pulmonary arterial endothelin receptor expression is not well defined. We hypothesised that disease and treatment would modify normal receptor distribution in pulmonary resistance arteries of children. Using immunohistochemistry and semiquantitative analysis, we investigated endothelin...

Since the discovery of ET-1 in 1988 [1], few molecules have come under such intense scrutiny as the endothelin peptide family (ET-1, ET-2, ET-3) and their receptors (ETA, ETB, ETC). Much study had nevertheless given rise to, at best, a limited understanding of their regulation and roles in health and disease. Perhaps it was not surprising that 'endothelin fatigue' had begun to sink in, even amo...