Neuropeptide substance P and the immune response.
Substance P is a peptide mainly secreted by neurons and is involved in many biological processes, including nociception and inflammation. Animal models have provided insights into the biology of this peptide and offered compelling evidence for the importance of substance P in cell-to-cell communication by either paracrine or endocrine signaling. Substance P mediates interactions between neurons and immune cells, with nerve-derived substance P modulating immune cell proliferation rates and cytokine production. Intriguingly, some immune cells have also been found to secrete substance P, which hints at an integral role of substance P in the immune response. These communications play important functional roles in immunity including mobilization, proliferation and modulation of the activity of immune cells. This review summarizes current knowledge of substance P and its receptors, as well as its physiological and pathological roles. We focus on recent developments in the immunobiology of substance P and discuss the clinical implications of its ability to modulate the immune response.
Schepens Eye Research Institute, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02114.
Alireza
A
Mashaghi
Schepens Eye Research Institute, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02114.
Anna
A
Marmalidou
Schepens Eye Research Institute, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02114.
Mohsen
M
Tehrani
Department of Psychology and Neuroscience and the Center for Neuroscience, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309.
Peter M
PM
Grace
Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center, Division of Digestive Diseases, David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California.
Charalabos
C
Pothoulakis
Schepens Eye Research Institute, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02114.
Reza
R
Dana
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D004194:Disease; D006801:Humans; D007109:Immunity; D056747:Immunomodulation; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013373:Substance P / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*
D013373:Substance P
Cell-to-cell communication; Cellular dynamics; Immune regulation; Neuropeptides; Signaling