Neuroblastoma is the most common extracranial tumor in children. Despite aggressive multimodal treatment, high-risk neuroblastoma remains a clinical challenge with survival rates below 50%. Adding targeted drugs to first-line therapy regimens is a promising approach to improve survival in these patients. TACR1 activation by substance P has been reported to be mitogenic in cancer cell lines. Tac...

A brief overview of recent developments in the substance P field is provided, in addition to a historical introduction. It is emphasized that there are multiple tachykinins and tachykinin receptors and that there are examples of coexistence of several tachykinin peptides and of several tachykinin receptors in single cells, and there is evidence for tachykininergic cotransmission. The distributi...

Data from several studies suggest that tachykinins may play an important role in the pathophysiology of airway diseases, especially asthma. Our aim is to discover tachykinin antagonists which exhibit therapeutically useful anti-asthmatic activity. In our search for activities inhibiting the binding of [3H]substance P to guinea-pig lung membrane preparations, we have found that the fermentation ...

Neurokinin B (NKB) is a potential regulator of pulsatile gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) secretion via activation of the neurokinin-3 receptor (NK3R). NKB with the consensus sequence of the tachykinin peptide family also binds to other tachykinin receptors [neurokinin-1 receptor (NK1R) and neurokinin-2 receptor (NK2R)] with low selectivity. In order to identify the structural requirements...

Three tachykinins, substance P (SP), neurokinin A (NKA), and neurokinin B (NKB), have been isolated from the mammalian nervous system. In accordance with the presence of multiple tachykinins, the existence of multiple tachykinin receptors has been suggested. These receptors differ in binding specificities for different tachykinins. However, it is not known whether these receptors are indeed mad...

BACKGROUND Tachykinins are present in sensory nerves and in nonneuronal cells like macrophages. Human data suggest a role for these peptides in asthma, but the exact role of tachykinins and their receptors in allergic airway inflammation is still a matter of debate. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to determine the role of the tachykinin NK1 receptor in allergic airway responses in a mouse...

Leukotriene D4-(LTD4) has been reported to cause tachykinin release from airway sensory nerves. However, the functional significance of endogenously released tachykinins in LTD4-mediated airway responses has not been fully clarified. The aim of this study was to investigate whether LTD4-induced airway responses are due, in part, to tachykinin release in guinea-pigs. Airway plasma exudation and ...

Tachykinin peptides such as substance P (SP) function as neurotransmitters and neuromodulators in the mammalian central and peripheral nervous systems. Here, we provide evidence that they may also play an important role in the morphogenesis of some nonneural organs where epithelial-mesenchymal interactions are involved. We show the following. (1) mRNA encoding tachykinin precursor proteins is e...

Tachykinins represent a family of peptides which have significant effects on such diverse physiological responses as gut peristalsis, vascular permeability, and the transmission of pain. Traditionally, neurons have been identified as the major source of tachykinin peptides in peripheral tissues and in the central nervous system, resulting in their classification as neuropeptides or, more specif...

A cascade of events follows binding of an agonist ligand to the tachykinin NK(1) receptor. These events include activation of multiple signal transduction pathways as well as cellular modulation of receptor function by the process of desensitization. This study examines the differences in the abilities of naturally occurring peptide agonist ligands of the tachykinin NK(1) receptor to preferenti...