|
|
|
|||
| Home Help Feedback Subscriptions Archive Search Table of Contents | ||||
Development, Vol 128, Issue 9 1607-1615, Copyright © 2001 by Company of Biologists
JOURNAL ARTICLES |
J Zhang, A Leontovich and MP Sarras Jr
Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 666160-7400, USA. msarras@kumc.edu
A novel putative endothelin-converting enzyme (ECE) has been cloned from hydra, a freshwater invertebrate that belongs to the second oldest phylum of the animal kingdom. As an integral component of the endothelin system, vertebrate ECE functions in the activation of endothelin (ET) peptides. Vertebrate ETs are (1) the most potent vasoconstrictors known in mammals; and (2) function as essential signaling ligands during development of tissues derived from neural crest cells. To date, only a limited number of immunocytochemical studies have suggested the presence of endothelin-like peptides in invertebrates. Based on structural and functional analyses, we present evidence for a functional endothelin-like system in hydra that is involved in both muscle contraction and developmental processes. These findings indicate the broad use of endothelin systems in metazoans and also indicate that this type of signaling system arose early in evolution even before divergence of protostomes and deuterostomes.
This article has been cited by other articles:
![]() |
I. Braasch, J.-N. Volff, and M. Schartl The Endothelin System: Evolution of Vertebrate-Specific Ligand-Receptor Interactions by Three Rounds of Genome Duplication Mol. Biol. Evol., April 1, 2009; 26(4): 783 - 799. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
K. A. Hyndman and D. H. Evans Endothelin and endothelin converting enzyme-1 in the fish gill: evolutionary and physiological perspectives J. Exp. Biol., December 15, 2007; 210(24): 4286 - 4297. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
R. A. M. B. Borgheresi, J. M. G. Leroy, A. Yogi, R. A. DosSantos, M. C. Breno, and R. C. Tostes Pharmacologic and Molecular Characterization of the Vascular ETA Receptor in the Venomous Snake Bothrops jararaca. Experimental Biology and Medicine, June 1, 2006; 231(6): 729 - 735. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
N. W. Blackstone and D. M. Bridge Model Systems for Environmental Signaling Integr. Comp. Biol., August 1, 2005; 45(4): 605 - 614. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
H. Shimizu, X. Zhang, J. Zhang, A. Leontovich, K. Fei, L. Yan, and M. P. Sarras Jr. Epithelial morphogenesis in hydra requires de novo expression of extracellular matrix components and matrix metalloproteinases Development, March 5, 2003; 129(6): 1521 - 1532. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||