title: From 'gills to pills': urotensin-II as a regulator of mammalian cardiorenal function.
abstract: The identification of a human homolog of urotensin-II (U-II) and a novel, specific G-protein-coupled receptor by Ames et al. in 1999 changed the perception that the U-II isopeptide family was an esoteric collection of 'somatostatin-like neuropeptides' present only in the nervous systems of an eclectic array of aquatic invertebrates, fish and amphibians. In this article, we review recent developments in the pharmacology of human U-II, focusing on the actions of this peptide in the mammalian cardiorenal system. The putative role of U-II in the etiology of hypertension, heart failure, renal dysfunction and diabetes is discussed, as are novel U-II receptor antagonists.
authors.affiliation: Department of Vascular Biology, Cardiovascular and Urogenital Centre of Excellence for Drug Discovery, GlaxoSmithKline, PO Box 1539, 709 Swedeland Road, King of Prussia PA 19406-0939, USA. steve_a_douglas@gsk.com
authors.forename: Stephen A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Douglas
authors.forename: Dashyant
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dhanak
authors.forename: Douglas G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Johns
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006321:Heart / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000209:etiology; D007668:Kidney / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D013045:Species Specificity; D014579:Urotensins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled; C121697:UTS2R protein, human; D014579:Urotensins; C029677:urotensin II