Somatostatin is known to modulate mesangial and tubular cell function and growth, but the somatostatin receptor (sst) subtypes responsible for these effects have not been defined. There are at least five different sst receptor subtypes (sst(1)-sst(5)). We used RT-PCR to demonstrate that normal human kidney consistently expresses mRNA for sst(1) and sst(2) (9 of 9 donors). Some donors expressed ...

Somatostatin (SRIF)-14 is recognized as an important mediator between the nervous and the immune system, although the functional role of its receptors (sst(1)-sst(5)) is poorly understood in humans. In our study, we demonstrate that human macrophages, differentiated from PBMC-derived monocytes, express sst(1) and sst(2) mRNAs. sst(1) and sst(2) are mostly localized at the cell surface and displ...

Five somatostatin receptor (sst) subtype genes, sst(1), sst(2), sst(3), sst(4) and sst(5), have been cloned and characterised. The five sst subtypes all bind natural somatostatin-14 and somatostatin-28 with high affinity. Endocrine pancreatic and endocrine digestive tract tumours also express multiple sst subtypes, but sst(2) predominance is generally found. However, there is considerable varia...

Corticosterone and total ghrelin levels are increased in somatostatin (SST) knockout mice (Sst-/-) compared with SST-intact controls (Sst+/+). Because exogenous ghrelin can increase glucocorticoids, the question arises whether elevated levels of ghrelin contribute to elevated corticosterone levels in Sst-/- mice. We report that Sst-/- mice had elevated mRNA levels for pituitary proopiomelanocor...

OBJECTIVE Somatostatin (sst) are present in the majority of gastro-entero-pancreatic (GEP) tumours. Effects of somatostatin receptor (sst) analogues are partial and of limited duration. Cell lines derived from GEP express dopaminergic receptors D(2). New chimeric analogues simultaneously recognising sst(2) and sst(5) or sst(2) and D(2) have additive effects in inhibition of GH and prolactin sec...

The K(+) M-current (I(M), Kv7) is an important regulator of cortical excitability, and mutations in these channels cause a seizure disorder in humans. The neuropeptide somatostatin (SST), which has antiepileptic properties, augments I(M) in hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons. We used SST receptor knock-out mice and subtype-selective ligands to investigate the receptor subtype that couples to I(M...

Although social skills training (SST) is an effective approach for improving social skills for schizophrenia, the motivational deficit attenuates its efficacy. Virtual reality (VR) applications have allowed individuals with mental disabilities to enhance their motivation for rehabilitation. We compared SST using VR role-playing (SST-VR) to SST using traditional role-playing (SST-TR). This rando...