Apelin acts via the G protein-coupled apelin receptor (APJ) to mediate effects on cardiovascular and fluid homeostasis. G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) trafficking has an important role in the regulation of receptor signalling pathways and cellular functions, however in the case of APJ the mechanisms and proteins involved in apelin-induced trafficking are not well understood. We generated a s...

Vascular calcification, which results from a process osteoblastic differentiation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), is a major risk factor for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Apelin is a recently discovered peptide that is the endogenous ligand for the orphan G-protein-coupled receptor, APJ. Several studies have identified the protective effects of apelin on the cardiovascular sy...

Apelin, an adipocyte-secreted factor upregulated by insulin, is increased in adipose tissue (AT) and plasma with obesity. Apelin was recently identified as a new player in the control of glucose homeostasis. However, the regulation of apelin and APJ (apelin receptor) expression in skeletal muscle in relation to insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes is not known. Thus we studied apelin and APJ e...

Background The link between Apelin (APL)/APL receptor (APJ) and Jagged (JAG)/Notch signaling pathways in colorectal cancer (CRC) has been poorly investigated. APL/APJ system, a potent angiogenic factor, is up-regulated in a variety of cancers. It contributes to tumor angiogenesis, and correlates with progression of malignancy. JAG/Notch signaling also contributes to progression, proliferation a...

This study is designed to investigate whether APJ receptor acts as a sensor in static pressure-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and to investigate the mechanism of PI3K-autophagy pathway. The left ventricular hypertrophy rat model was established by coarctation of abdominal aorta. H9c2 rat cardiomyocytes were cultured in the presence of static pressure which was given by a custom-made pressure...

Apelin, a new bioactive peptide, was identified as an endogenous ligand for APJ (Angiotensin II receptor-like 1). Apelin and its receptor have an abundant distribution in central nervous system and peripheral tissues, including liver. Apelin/APJ has diverse physiological and pathological effects, including regulation of cardiovascular function, angiogenesis, fluid homeostasis and so on. Apelin/...

AIM The apelin-APJ system regulates angiogenesis, and is overexpressed in several types of cancer. The aim of this study was to clarify the role of the apelin-APJ system in the angiogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). MATERIALS AND METHODS Expressions of angiogenic factors and vascular markers were investigated in specimens from 90 HCC patients. A subcutaneous HCC tumor mouse model was...

This work was supported by NASA through SAO contract SV3-73016 to MIT for Support of the Chandra X-Ray Center (CXC) and Science Instruments; the CXC is operated by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory for and on behalf of NASA under contract NAS8-03060. Contact: Dewey, D., et al. 2008, ApJ, 676, L131. Gaensler, B.M., et al. 2007, arXiv:0705.0057. Heng et al. 2007/2008, arXiv:0710.3682v2; A...

We have recently identified a new G protein-coupled receptor, X-msr, whose expression is associated with the endothelial lineage in Xenopus laevis (Devic, E., Paquereau, L., Vernier, P., Knibiehler, B., Audigier, Y., 1996. Expression of a new G protein-coupled receptor X-msr is associated with an endothelial lineage in Xenopus laevis. Mech. Dev. 59, 129-140). Based on its structural analogy to ...

Human ELA consists of three exons on chromosome 4, which generates a transcript (AK092578) that is annotated as a non-coding RNA. However, Chng et al. [1] has found that this gene contains a conserved open reading frame predicted to express a conserved vertebrate protein of 54 amino acids (aa) consisting of a secretory signal and a mature 32-aa peptide, which was called as ELABELA (ELA). The se...