The mammalian bombesin-like peptides gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP) and neuromedin B regulate numerous and varied cell physiologic processes in various cell types and have also been implicated as autocrine growth factors influencing the pathogenesis and progression of human small cell lung carcinomas. We report here the molecular characterization of the bombesin/GRP receptor. Structural analys...

BACKGROUND Many men suffering from stress, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), report sexual dysfunction, which is traditionally treated via psychological counseling. Recently, we identified a gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP) system in the lumbar spinal cord that is a primary mediator for male reproductive functions. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS To ask whether an acute severe st...

Mice lacking either bombesin receptor subtype (BRS)-3 or gastrin-releasing peptide receptor (GRP-R) exhibit feeding abnormalities. However, it is unclear how these receptors are associated with feeding regulation. In BRS-3-deficient mice, we found hyperphagia, subsequent hyperleptinemia, and brain leptin resistance that occurred after the onset of obesity. To explore the cause of this phenomeno...

The cross-linking agent ethylene glycol-bis(succinimidyl succinate) was used to covalently link 125I-labeled gastrin releasing peptide (125I-GRP) to an Mr 75,000-85,000 surface protein in Swiss 3T3 cells that displays many characteristics of a specific receptor for peptides of the bombesin family. This protein was not present in other cell lines which do not exhibit receptors for bombesin-like ...

Bombesin (BBS) exerts significant effects on the growth of a mouse colon cancer cell line (MC-26) in vitro. The presence of specific binding sites on MC-26 cells for gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP)/BBS-related peptides was recently reported by us. In the present study, we determined that the transcript size of the mRNA species that codes for GRP receptors is 9 kilobase pairs, which is similar t...

Transplanting neuronal and glial restricted precursors (NRP/GRP) into a midthoracic injury 9 d after contusion improved bladder and motor function, diminished thermal hypersensitivity, and modified lumbosacral circuitry compared with operated controls (OP-controls). Histological analysis showed that NRP/GRP survived, filled the lesion site, differentiated into neurons and glia, and migrated sel...

The hormone bombesin (BBS) and its mammalian equivalent gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP) act through specific GRP receptors (GRP-R) to affect multiple cellular functions in the gastrointestinal tract; the intracellular signaling pathways leading to these effects are not clearly defined. Previously, we demonstrated that the human gastric cancer SIIA possesses GRP-R and that BBS stimulates activat...

Bombesin-peptide (BLP) immunoreactivity occurs at high levels in fetal lung. Previous studies showed that bombesin promotes fetal lung development. To test the hypothesis that such effects are mediated by known mammalian bombesin receptors [gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP)/bombesin-preferring receptor (GRPR), neuromedin B (NMB) receptor (NMBR), and the orphan bombesin receptor subtype-3 (BRS-3)]...

The bombesin family of peptides elicit numerous biological responses in the gut, including stimulation of cell proliferation, and have been implicated as growth factors in a variety of gastrointestinal tumors. Even though these peptides and their receptors are distributed throughout the gastrointestinal tract, there are few cell lines available as model systems to study bombesin action in gastr...

UNLABELLED The 14-amino-acid peptide bombesin (BN) has a high affinity for the gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP) receptor that is expressed by a variety of tumors. Recently, high densities of GRP receptors were identified by in vitro receptor autoradiography in human prostate and breast carcinomas using [(125)I-Tyr(4)]BN as radioligand. Radiometal-labeled diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA)...