Offers a state-of-the-art review by international experts on all aspects of tachykinin receptors, including neuropeptide/peptide and G-protein-linked receptors in general. It covers the physiology, pharmacology, biochemistry, and molecular biology of these receptors from both clinical and basic research points of view.

Topics treated by the distinguished contributors include the characterization of tachykinin receptors, the mechanisms of tachykinin receptor action, a reflection on future prospects, and a historical consideration of tachykinin research.

Inhalt

Section 1: Historical Perspectives of Tachykinins: History of Tachykinin Peptides. History of Tachykinin Receptors. Section 2: Characterization of Tachykinin Receptors: Biochemical Methods and Assays for Receptors. Agonist and Antagonist Binding to Receptors. Comparative Distribution of Receptor Types in Mammalian Brain. Autoradiographic Localization of Receptors in Peripheral Tissues. Molecular Biology of Receptors: Structures, Expression, and Regulatory Mechanisms. Characterization of the NK1 Receptor Using Photoaffinity Probes. Modeling of G-Protein-Coupled Receptors: Application to the Tachykinin NK1 Receptor. Section 3: Mechanisms of Tachykinin Receptor Action: Tachykinin Receptors and the Inositol Phosphate Calcium Signaling System. Signal Transduction Mechanisms of Tachykinin Effects on Ion Channels. Section 4: Tachykinin Receptor Function: Structure-Activity Relationships of Agonist and Antagonist Ligands. Pharmacological Characterization of Receptor Types. Evidence for Receptor Subtypes/Species Variants of Receptors. Role of Receptors in Nociception. Pharmacological Characterization of Receptors in the Spinal Cord of the Newborn Rat. Receptor Function in the Periphery. Receptor Involvement in Pathology and Disease. Section 5: Summary and Future Perspectives: Summary, Thoughts, and Future Perspectives. Index.