title: Leukotriene B4: metabolism and signal transduction.
abstract: Leukotriene B4 (LTB4) is known as one of the most potent chemoattractants and activators of leukocytes and is involved in inflammatory diseases. Enzymes involved in the biosynthesis and metabolism of LTB4 have been cloned, and their properties are well understood. Two G-protein-coupled receptors (BLT1 and BLT2) have been cloned and characterized. BLT1 and BLT2 are high- and low-affinity LTB4 receptors, respectively, and form a gene cluster in human and mouse. In this article recent findings on the metabolism of and the receptors for LTB4 are reviewed. We also discuss briefly a coreceptor role of BLT in HIV infection, and ion channel modification by LTB4.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, CREST of Japan, Science and Technology Corporation. yokomizo@m.u.tokyo.ac.jp
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yokomizo
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Izumi
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shimizu
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006801:Humans; D007473:Ion Channels / Q000378:metabolism; D007975:Leukotriene B4 / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D018160:Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear / Q000378:metabolism; D015728:Receptors, HIV / Q000378:metabolism; D018077:Receptors, Leukotriene / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D007473:Ion Channels; D018160:Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear; D015728:Receptors, HIV; D018077:Receptors, Leukotriene; D007975:Leukotriene B4