Endothelin ETA receptor couples to Gq/11 protein that transduces a variety of receptor signals to modulate diverse cellular responses including Ca mobilization. Stimulation of endothelin ETA receptor with endothelin-1 is generally believed to induce an increase in intracellular Ca concentration ([Ca]i) via Gq/11 protein. Here we provide the first convincing evidence that endothelin-1 elicited G...

Enhanced airway contractility following inflammation by cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) or interleukin-13 (IL-13) involves increased intracellular Ca(2+) ([Ca(2+)](i)) levels in airway smooth muscle (ASM). In ASM, plasma membrane Ca(2+) fluxes form a key component of [Ca(2+)](i) regulation. There is now growing evidence that the bidirectional plasma membrane Na(+)/Ca(2+) ex...

Ischemic preconditioning represents an important adaptation mechanism of CNS, which results in its increased tolerance to the lethal cerebral ischemia. The molecular mechanisms responsible for the induction and maintenance of ischemic tolerance in the brain are complex and not yet completely clarified. In the last 10 years, great attention has been devoted to unravel the intracellular pathways ...

In the last two decades, there has been a growing interest in unraveling the role that the Na+/Ca2+ exchanger (NCX) plays in the function and regulation of several cellular activities. Molecular biology, electrophysiology, genetically modified mice, and molecular pharmacology have helped to delve deeper and more successfully into the physiological and pathophysiological role of this exchanger. ...

Mammalian Na+/Ca2+ exchangers are members of three branches of a much larger family of transport proteins [the CaCA (Ca2+/cation antiporter) superfamily] whose main role is to provide control of Ca2+ flux across the plasma membranes or intracellular compartments. Since cytosolic levels of Ca2+ are much lower than those found extracellularly or in sequestered stores, the major function of Na+/Ca...

Because the presence of a native plasmalemmal Na+/Ca2+ exchange (NCX) activity in Xenopus laevis oocytes remains controversial, its possible functional role in these cells is poorly understood. Here, in experiments on control oocytes and oocytes overexpressing a cloned NCX1 cardiac protein, confocal microscopy combined with electrophysiological techniques reveal that these cells express an endo...

in the mammalian, there are three ncx genes (ncx1, ncx2, ncx3), which their three proteins are differentially expressed in distinct regions of the central nervous system, where they might underlie different physiological and pathophysiological functions. ncx is a nine-transmembrane protein which is distributed in the brain widely. ncx operates in a bidirectional way, and exchanges ca2+ and na+ ...

The Na+/Ca2+ exchanger, an ion transport protein, is expressed in the plasma membrane (PM) of virtually all animal cells. It extrudes Ca2+ in parallel with the PM ATP-driven Ca2+ pump. As a reversible transporter, it also mediates Ca2+ entry in parallel with various ion channels. The energy for net Ca2+ transport by the Na+/Ca2+ exchanger and its direction depend on the Na+, Ca2+, and K+ gradie...

With the help of single-cell microflorimetry, Ca radiotracer fluxes, and patch-clamp in whole-cell configuration, we examined the effect of the amiloride derivative 3-amino-6-chloro-5[(4-chloro-benzyl)amino]-N-[[(2,4-dimethylbenzyl)amino]iminomethyl]-pyrazinecarboxamide (CB-DMB) on the activity of the three isoforms of the Na /Ca exchanger (NCX) and on several other membrane currents including ...