title: Immunocytochemical localization of the urotensin-II receptor, UT, to rat and human tissues: relevance to function.
abstract: We have examined whether differential expression of UT receptors in cardiovascular tissues from rats and humans may account for the diverse vascular actions reported for urotensin-II. We found UT immunoreactivity ubiquitously expressed in arterial and venous smooth muscle and cardiomyocytes in both species, however, compared to human, levels of UT immunoreactivity in rat vascular endothelial cells was below the level for detection. In rat skeletal muscle cells UT receptor localized to the sarcolemma, a pattern comparable to that for isoforms of nitric oxide synthase suggesting that urotensin-II mediated hindquarter vasodilatation may involve release of nitric oxide from skeletal muscle fibers.
authors: Clinical Pharmacology Unit, University of Cambridge, Level 6 Centre for Clinical Investigation, Box 110 Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge CB2 2QQ, UK. jjm1003@medschl.cam.ac.uk
authors: Janet J
authors: JJ
authors: Maguire
authors: Rhoda E
authors: RE
authors: Kuc
authors: Matthias J
authors: MJ
authors: Kleinz
authors: Anthony P
authors: AP
authors: Davenport
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D009131:Muscle, Smooth, Vascular / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D009206:Myocardium / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled / Q000378:metabolism*; D014018:Tissue Distribution; D014579:Urotensins / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled; C121697:UTS2R protein, human; D014579:Urotensins; C473142:Uts2r protein, rat; C029677:urotensin II