Platelet-activating Factor Receptor Activation

Opposing effects of platelet-activating factor and lyso-platelet-activating factor on neutrophil and platelet activation.

Platelet-activating factor (PAF) is a potent, bioactive phospholipid that acts on multiple cells and tissues through its G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR). PAF is not stored but is rapidly generated via enzymatic acetylation of the precursor 1-O-hexadecyl-2-hydroxy-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (lysoPAF). The bioactivity of PAF is effectively and tightly regulated by PAF acetylhydrolases, which c...

Platelet-Activating Factor-Receptor and Tumor Immunity.

First described in 1972 by Benveniste and colleagues, platelet-activating factor (PAF) remains one of the potent phospholipid known to date. The role of PAF produced enzymatically in mediating diverse biological and pathophysiological processes including inflammatory and allergic diseases and cancers in response to various stimuli has been extensively studied. However, little is known about the...

Platelet-activating factor receptor and signal transduction.

During the past two decades, studies describing the chemistry and biology of PAF have been extensive. This potent phosphoacylglycerol exhibits a wide variety of physiological and pathophysiological effects in various cells and tissues. PAF acts, through specific receptors and a variety of signal transduction systems, to elicit diverse biochemical responses. Several important future directions c...

Regulation of platelet-activating factor receptor gene expression in vivo by endotoxin, platelet-activating factor and endogenous tumour necrosis factor.

A competitive PCR assay was developed to quantify platelet-activating factor (PAF) receptor (PAF-R) transcripts in rat tissues using a synthetic RNA as a competitor. We found PAF-R mRNA constitutively expressed in the eight organs tested, with the ileum containing the highest concentration [(3.49+/-0.15) x 10(7) molecules/microg of RNA]. Significant but lower levels were also detected in the je...

Platelet activating factor revisited.