1. Microsomal membranes from rat liver were incubated with ATP, CoA, Mg2+, [14C]palmitate, Fand sn-glycerol 3-phosphate in order to label them with [14C]phosphatidate. These membranes were isolated and used in a second incubation in which [3H]CTP was present, and the simultaneous synthesis of [14C]diacylglycerol and [3H]CDP-diacylglycerol was measured. 2. The addition of phosphatidate phosphohy...

1. The effects on glycerolipid synthesis of a series of compounds including many drugs were investigated in cell-free preparations and slices of rat liver. 2. p-Chlorobenzoate, p-chlorophenoxyisobutyrate, halofenate, D-amphetamine, adrenaline, procaine and N-[2-(4-chloro-3-sulphamoylbenzoyloxy)ethyl]norfenfluramine had little inhibitory effect on any of the systems investigated. 3. Two amphiphi...

G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) represent the largest family of receptors involved in transmembrane signaling. Although these receptors were generally believed to be monomeric entities, accumulating evidence supports the presence of GPCRs in multimeric forms. Here, using immunoprecipitation as well as time-resolved fluorescence resonance energy transfer to assess protein-protein interaction...

Nasal hyperresponsiveness is one of the characteristic features of the pathogenesis of allergic rhinitis. This study examined whether repetitive inhalation of antigen (Japanese cedar pollen) led to the development of nasal hyperresponsiveness to histamine in sensitized conscious guinea-pigs. Guinea-pigs were repeatedly challenged by pollen inhalation once every week following sensitization by m...

Histamine, known to induce Ca2+ oscillations in endothelial cells, was used to alter Ca2+ cycling. Treatment of HUVEC (human umbilical-vein endothelial cell)-derived EA.hy926 cells with histamine for 1-3 days increased the levels of SERCA (sarcoplasmic/endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase) 3, but not of SERCA 2b, transcripts and proteins. Promoter-reporter gene assays demonstrated that this increa...