Endothelin Converting Enzyme Activity in Primary Rat Astrocytes Is Modulated by Endothelin B Receptors

• Published in: Biochemical and biophysical research communications Vol. 261; no. 1; pp. 149 - 155
• Main Authors: Ehrenreich, Hannelore, Löffler, Bernd-Michael, Hasselblatt, Martin, Langen, Hanno, Oldenburg, Jan, Subkowski, Thomas, Schilling, Lothar, Sirén, Anna-Leena
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 22.07.1999
• Subjects: Animals; Aspartic Acid Endopeptidases - genetics; Aspartic Acid Endopeptidases - metabolism; Astrocytes - cytology; Astrocytes - enzymology; Blotting, Western; Cell Membrane - enzymology; Cells, Cultured; Culture Media, Conditioned - chemistry; Endothelin Receptor Antagonists; Endothelin-1 - analysis; Endothelin-1 - metabolism; endothelin-converting enzyme; Endothelin-Converting Enzymes; Genotype; Glycosylation; Immunohistochemistry; Isoelectric Point; Kinetics; Metalloendopeptidases; Protein Processing, Post-Translational; Rats; Rats, Mutant Strains; Rats, Wistar; Receptor, Endothelin B; Receptors, Endothelin - genetics; Receptors, Endothelin - physiology; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; RNA, Messenger - genetics; RNA, Messenger - metabolism; Sequence Deletion

Astrocytes express endothelin-1 (ET-1), ET-3, and their receptors, ETA and ETB. We report here that activated astrocytes in vivo also express endothelin converting enzyme-1 (ECE-1). Higher basal ET-1 concentrations in astrocyte media from ETB-deficient (sl/sl) versus wildtype (+/+) rats suggested th...