Among purinergic P2X receptor (P2XR) channels, the P2X7R exhibits the most complex gating kinetics; the binding of orthosteric agonists at the ectodomain induces a conformational change in the receptor complex that favors a gating transition from closed to open and dilated states. Bath Ca(2+) affects P2X7R gating through a still uncharacterized mechanism: it could act by reducing the adenosine ...

Latex bead phagosomes isolated from J774 macrophages polymerize actin. We show here that five lipids--phosphatidylinositol-4-phosphate, phosphatidylinositol-(4,5)-bisphosphate, sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), ceramide-1-phosphate and phosphatidic acid--stimulate both actin assembly and transport of ADP across the phagosomal membrane into the lumen. Once there, this ADP is converted to ATP by ade...

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disorder, which is characterized by the selective and progressive death of dopaminergic (DA) neurons in the substantia nigra. Increasing evidence suggests that inflammation is important in the degeneration of DA neurons. The purinergic receptor subtype P2X7 receptor (P2X7R) is key in the activation and proliferation of microglia. The presen...

We previously demonstrated that the P2X7 receptor (P2X7R), a purinergic receptor, expressed by mouse cultured cortical astrocytes is constitutively activated without any exogenous stimulus, differing from the case of neurons. It is well known that astrocytic morphology differs between in vitro and in vivo situations, implying different functionalities. Brain acute slices are widely accepted as ...

Transglutaminases (denoted TG or TGM) are externalized from cells via an unknown unconventional secretory pathway. Here, we show for the first time that purinergic signaling regulates active secretion of TG2 (also known as TGM2), an enzyme with a pivotal role in stabilizing extracellular matrices and modulating cell-matrix interactions in tissue repair. Extracellular ATP promotes TG2 secretion ...

VEGFR-2 and P2X7 receptor (P2X7R) have been described to stimulate the angiogenesis and inflammatory processes of prostate cancer. The present study has been performed to investigate the genetic interactions among VEGFR-2 and P2X7R SNPs and their correlation with overall survival (OS) in a population of metastatic prostate cancer patients. Analyses were performed on germline DNA obtained from b...

ATP physiologically activates the P2X7 receptor (P2X7R), a member of the P2X ionotropic receptor family. When activated by high concentrations of ATP (i.e., at inflammation sites), this receptor is capable of forming a pore that allows molecules of up to 900 Da to pass through. This receptor is upregulated in several diseases, particularly leukemia, rheumatoid arthritis and Alzheimer's disease....

The P2X7 receptor (P2X7R), an ATP-gated ion channel, plays essential roles in the release and maturation of IL-1beta in microglial cells in the brain. Previously, we found that lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) potentiated P2X7R-mediated intracellular signals in microglial cells. In this study, we determined whether the lysophospholipids, i.e., LPC and sphingosylphosphorylcholine (SPC), modulate th...

p2x7 receptors are purineric receptors that are extracellular atp-gated ion channel. these receptors require high dose or prolonged exposure to atp for initial activation. the activation of these receptors facilitates the formation of inflammasome which activates caspase 1. the p20 and p10 subunits of caspase 1 form active enzyme that then releases active interleukin (il)-1 β and il-18, tumor n...