Histamine is a neurotransmitter involved in a number of physiological and neuronal functions. In mammals, such as humans, and rodents, the histaminergic neurons found in the tuberomamillary nucleus project widely throughout the central nervous system. Histamine acts as positive modulator of GABAA receptors (GABAARs) and, in high concentrations (10 mM), as negative modulator of the strychnine-se...

To evaluate the physiological functions of β1-, β2-, and β3-adrenoceptors (ARs) in brown adipose tissue, the lipolytic and respiratory effects of various adrenergic agonists and antagonists were studied in rat brown adipocytes. The β-agonists stimulated both lipolysis and respiration (8-10 times above basal levels), with the following order of potency (concentration eliciting 50% of maximum res...

Kindlin-3 essentially supports integrin activation in blood cells. Absence of kindlin-3 in humans causes leukocyte adhesion deficiency-III characterized with severe bleeding disorder and recurrent infections. Previously, we generated kindlin-3 knock-in (K3KI) mice carrying an integrin-interaction disrupting mutation in kindlin-3 and verified the functional significance of the binding of kindlin...

BACKGROUND To determine whether the levels of b2-glycoprotein I (b2-GPI)/oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL) complexes are correlated with cerebral infarction in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). MATERIAL AND METHODS The levels of β2-GPI/oxLDL complexes, oxLDL, routine lipid/lipoprotein parameters, oxidative stress molecules, and inflammatory factors were measured in 78 health...

Phosphorylation of G-protein-coupled receptors by second-messenger-stimulated kinases is central to the process of receptor desensitization [1–3]. Phosphorylation of the β2-adrenergic receptor (β2-AR) by protein kinase A (PKA), in addition to uncoupling adenylate cyclase activation, is obligatory for receptormediated activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAP kinase) cascades [4,5]. Al...

In order to determine the most appropriate interferon (IFN) therapy according to patient background and to evaluate the efficacy of twice-daily IFN-β induction therapy (β2 therapy), 320 patients with chronic hepatitis C who underwent various IFN monotherapy regimens were retrospectively analyzed. Sustained virological response (SVR) and biochemical response (BR) rates were calculated with respe...

β2-AR activation increases the risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in heart failure (HF) patients. Non-selective β-AR blockers have greater benefits on survival than selective β1-AR blockers in chronic HF patients, indicating that β2-AR activation contributes to SCD in HF. This study investigated the role of β2-AR activation on repolarization and ventricular arrhythmia (VA) in the experimental H...

P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1 (PSGL-1) and integrins are adhesion molecules that play critical roles in host defense and innate immunity. PSGL-1 mediates leukocyte rolling and primes leukocytes for integrin-mediated adhesion. However, the mechanism that PSGL-1 as a rolling receptor in regulating integrin activation has not been well characterized. Here, we investigate the function of lipid r...

We investigated assembly and function of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) composed of α7 and β2 subunits. We measured optical and electrophysiological properties of wild-type and mutant subunits expressed in cell lines and Xenopus laevis oocytes. Laser scanning confocal microscopy indicated that fluorescently tagged α7 and β2 subunits colocalize. Förster resonance energy transfer betw...

Cigarette smoking is a risk factor for pancreatic cancer. It is suggested that 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK), a tobacco-specific nitrosamine, mediates the carcinogenic action of cigarette smoking by promoting cancer growth. In the present study, we show that smoking, HIF-1α expression and β2-adrenogenic receptor (β2-AR) expression are negatively correlated with the overal...