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Publications (2)4.56 Total impact

  • Article: Enhancing and limiting endothelin-1 signaling with a cell-penetrating peptide mimicking the third intracellular loop of the ETB receptor.
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    ABSTRACT: TAT (a 13-mer derived from the HIV-1 Tat protein)-linked cell-permeable peptides deliver plasma membrane impermeable cargos into the cell. We investigated the effect of a TAT-linked intracellular third loop of the endothelin-1 type B receptor on endothelin-1 activation of ERK. The effect of this peptide on ERK activation was determined in ETB receptor cDNA-transfected Chinese hamster ovary cells and in ETA- and ETB-expressing human pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells obtained from a normal and a bone morphogenetic protein-2 receptor, exon 1-8 deletion subject, with pulmonary hypertension. In the Chinese hamster ovary cells the peptide, at optimum 10 μm concentration, suppressed endothelin-1 activation. In the normal human pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells, the peptide marginally enhanced endothelin-1 activation of ERK. However, it markedly enhanced the endothelin-1 activation of ERK in the bone morphogenetic protein-2 receptor human pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells. While the effective concentration for endothelin-1 activation of ERK remained unchanged in the bone morphogenetic protein-2 receptor human pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells, the number of ETB receptors declined by 2/3. These data point to the intracellular third loop peptide as having variable receptor interactive effects with both signal repressive and enhancing capabilities. Peptides that can alter endothelin-1 signal capabilities are potentially important in the study and treatment of pulmonary hypertension.
    Chemical Biology &amp Drug Design 05/2012; 80(3):374-81. · 2.28 Impact Factor
  • Article: Limiting angiotensin II signaling with a cell-penetrating peptide mimicking the second intracellular loop of the angiotensin II type-I receptor.
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    ABSTRACT: A cell-penetrating peptide consisting of the second intracellular loop (IC2) of the angiotensin II (AngII) type-I receptor (AT1) linked to the HIV-transactivating regulatory protein (TAT) domain was used to identify the role of this motif In intracellular signal transduction. HEK-293 cells stably transfected with AT1R cDNA and primary cultures of human pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells expressing endogenous AT1 receptor were exposed to the cell-penetrating peptide construct, and the effect on angiotensin II signaling was determined. The AT1 IC2 peptide effectively inhibited AngII-stimulated phosphatidylinositol turnover and calcium influx. It also limited the activation of Akt/PKB as determined by an inhibition of phosphorylation of Akt at Ser473, and completely abolished the AngII-dependent activation of the transcriptional factor NFkappaB. In contrast, the AT1 IC2 peptide had no effect on AngII/AT1 receptor activation of ERK. These results illustrate the potential of using cell-penetrating peptides to both delineate receptor-mediated signal transduction and to selectively regulate G protein-coupled receptor signaling.
    Chemical Biology &amp Drug Design 07/2010; 76(1):70-6. · 2.28 Impact Factor