The Journal of Experimental Medicine
BioLegend: Antibody Reagents
  Home | Help | Feedback | Subscriptions | Archive | Search | Table of Contents
Published online 11 July 2005 doi:10.1084/jem.20050248
Rockefeller University Press, 0022-1007 $8.00
JEM, Volume 202, Number 2, 217-224
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow PPT slides of all figures
Right arrow Supplemental Material Index
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new content in the JEM
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via CrossRef
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Moriyama, M.
Right arrow Articles by Kojima, M.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Moriyama, M.
Right arrow Articles by Kojima, M.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Complore   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati  
What's this?

BRIEF DEFINITIVE REPORT

 The neuropeptide neuromedin U promotes inflammation by direct activation of mast cells

Maiko Moriyama1,2, Takahiro Sato1, Hiromasa Inoue3, Satoru Fukuyama3,4, Hitoshi Teranishi1, Kenji Kangawa5, Tatsuhiko Kano2, Akihiko Yoshimura4, and Masayasu Kojima1

1 Department of Molecular Genetics, Institute of Life Science, Kurume University, Fukuoka, 839-0864, Japan
2 Department of Anesthesiology, Kurume University School of Medicine, Fukuoka, 830-0011, Japan
3 Research Institute for Diseases of the Chest, Graduate School of Medical Sciences
4 Division of Molecular and Cellular Immunology, Medical Institute of Bioregulation, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, 812-8582, Japan
5 Department of Biochemistry, National Cardiovascular Center Research Institute, Osaka, 565-8565, Japan

CORRESPONDENCE Maiko Moriyama: moriyama{at}lsi.kurume-u.ac.jp OR Masayasu Kojima: mkojima{at}lsi.kurume-u.ac.jp

Neuromedin U (NMU) is a neuropeptide that is expressed in the gastrointestinal tract and central nervous system. NMU interacts with two G protein–coupled receptors, NMU-R1 and NMU-R2. Whereas NMU-R2 localizes predominantly to nerve cells, NMU-R1 is expressed in peripheral tissues including lymphocytes and monocytes, suggesting a role of NMU in immunoregulation. However, the functions of NMU in peripheral tissues have not been clarified. In this study, using NMU-deficient mice, we first demonstrated that NMU plays an important role in mast cell-mediated inflammation. Complete Freund's adjuvant-induced mast cell degranulation as well as edema and neutrophil infiltration, which occurred weakly in mast cell–deficient WBB6F1-W/Wv mice, did not occur in NMU-deficient mice. Moreover, intraplantar injection of NMU into paws induced early inflammatory responses such as mast cell degranulation, vasodilation, and plasma extravasation in WT mice but not in WBB6F1-W/Wv mice. NMU-R1 was highly expressed in primary mast cells, and NMU induced Ca2+ mobilization and degranulation in peritoneal mast cells. These data indicate that NMU promotes mast cell–mediated inflammation; therefore, NMU receptor antagonists could be a novel target for pharmacological inhibition of mast cell–mediated inflammatory diseases.

M. Moriyama and T. Sato contributed equally to this work.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Complore Complore   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:



  Home | Help | Feedback | Subscriptions | Archive | Search
TABLE OF CONTENTS