Two types of cannabinoid receptor have so far been identified.1,2 These are the CB1 receptor, cloned in 1990,3 and the CB2 receptor, cloned in 1993,4 both of which are members of the superfamily of G-protein-coupled receptors. The cloning of these receptors prompted the development of mice from which cannabinoid CB1 and/or CB2 receptors have been genetically deleted and these transgenic animals...

Clinical use of antineoplastic drugs is associated with the development of numerous adverse effects that many patients find intolerable, including peripheral neuropathy. Cannabinoids have relieved neuropathic pain in different animal models. But their therapeutic activities could be affected by their psychoactive properties. The aim of this work was to determine the effect of cannabinoids in ci...

The poor survival of cells in ischemic sites diminishes the therapeutic efficacy of stem cell therapy. Previously we and others have reported that Cannabinoid receptor type II (CB2) is protective during heart ischemic injury for its anti-oxidative activity. However, whether CB2 activation could improve the survival and therapeutic efficacy of stem cells in ischemic myocardium and the underlying...

The complete amine acid sequence of rye seed chitinase-a (RSC-a) has been analyzed. RSC-a was cleayed with cyanogen bromide and the resulting three fragments, CBI, CB2, and CB3, were separated by gel filtration. The amino acids of the N-terminal fragment CBI were sequenced by analyzing the peptides produced by digestion with trypsin, lysylendopeptidase, or pepsin ef reduced SLcarboxymethylated ...

1 Department of Clinical Neuroscience, School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0QQ, UK 2 Medical Research Council Mitochondrial Biology Unit, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, UK 3 Freeman Hospital, Freeman Road, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE7 7DN, UK 4 Wellcome Trust Centre for Mitochondrial Research, Institute of Genetic Medicine, Newcastle University, Cen...

Claire A. Martin1, Urszula Siedlecka2, Kristin Kemmerich3, Jason Lawrence4, James Cartledge2, Laila Guzadhur5, Nicola Brice4, Andrew A. Grace5, Christof Schwiening1, Cesare M. Terracciano2 and Christopher L.-H. Huang1,5 Physiological Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Downing Site, Cambridge CB2 3EG, UK Laboratory of Cell Electrophysiology, Heart Science Centre, National Heart and Lung Instit...

The DRY motif, at the junction of transmembrane helix 3 and intracellular loop 2 of G protein-coupled receptors, is highly conserved. Mutations were introduced into the CB2 cannabinoid receptor to study the role of this motif in CB2 signaling. D mutations (DRY130-132AAA and D130A) markedly reduced binding of cannabinoid agonists, while no significant reduction was observed with R131A or Y132A. ...

Increasing evidence supports the idea of a beneficial effect of cannabinoid compounds for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS). However, most experimental data come from animal models of MS. We investigated the status of cannabinoid CB1 and CB2 receptors and fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) enzyme in brain tissue samples obtained from MS patients. Areas of demyelination were identified and...

(-)-Delta9-Tetrahydrocannabinol ((-)-Delta9-THC) is the major active psychotropic component of the marijuana plant, Cannabis sativa. The membrane proteins that have been found to bind this material or its derivatives have been called the cannabinoid receptors. Two GTP-binding protein-coupled cannabinoid receptors have been cloned. CB1 or the neuronal cannabinoid receptor is found mostly in neur...

BACKGROUND Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) is a result of ovarian overexpression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its receptor 2 (VEGFR2). VEGF/VEGFR2 binding disrupts cellular junctions and increases vascular permeability (VP), a characteristic of OHSS, but enhances angiogenesis, which is a fundamental step in implantation. In animals, the dopamine agonist Cabergoline ...