Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death in United States. Using 2D-HPLE, a novel separation technology, G-protein coupled receptor-associated sorting protein 1(GASP-1) was identified in sera of patients with early stage cancer, while it could not be detected in sera from healthy individuals. This was the first indication that GASP-1 was positively correlated with breast cancer. However, the function of GASP-1 in breast cancer was unknown. In this study, I verified the 2D-HPLE results by quantifying the expression level of GASP-1 in sera and tissue specimens of cancer patients using specific antibodies against GASP-1. A GASP-1 specific ELISA was developed and used to quantify GASP-1 levels in cancer patient sera. Immunohistochemistry was performed to verify and localize GASP-1 expression in tumor. I also characterized the tumorigenic potential of GASP-1 andidentified the signaling pathways mediated by GASP-1 in breast cancer cells in vitro.GASP-1 expression levelsin MDA-MB-231 cells were modified by transfecting cells with anti-GASP-1 shRNA and over-expression plasmids. Stable cell lines were prepared and their tumorigenic potential was evaluated using cell proliferation, migration, and colony formation assays. These cells were analyzed for markers used to identify epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) using RT-PCR and western blot. They were also analyzed for NFkappaB activity, src phosphorylation, and GPR30 expression. The results showed that GASP-1 was over-expressed in sera and tissue specimens of breast cancer patients and other cancer types including brain, lung, liver and pancreatic cancer and that it correlated with early stage disease. GASP-1 positively regulated migration, and is required for cell proliferation and colony formation. GASP-1 is also necessary for the expression of EMT marker slug, increases NFkappaB activity and GPR30 expression level, while decreases the inhibitory phospho-src Tyr 530. I conclude that GASP-1 is a nearly marker for multiple cancer types. GASP-1 promotes tumorigenesis in breast cancer, possibly through multiple cancer related signaling pathways. These findings may contribute to our understanding of the mechanism of breast cancer tumorigenesis and identify new biomarkers that can be used for diagnosis and therapy of cancer. / Biology

No description available.

Membrane proteins play a key role in numerous physiological processes such as transport, energy transduction in respiratory and photosynthetic systems, and signal transduction, and are of great pharmaceutical interest, comprising more than 60% of known drug targets. However, crystallisation of membrane proteins, and G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) in particular, still relies heavily on the use of protein engineering strategies, which have been shown to hamper protein activity. Here, a range of biophysical methods were used to study the structure and function of two membrane proteins, a prokaryotic peptide transporter, PepT_So and a GPCR, neurotensin receptor 1 (NTS1), using different membrane reconstitution methods to study the proteins in a native-like environment. Firstly, using the pulsed electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) method of double electron-electron resonance (DEER) the conformation of PepT_So reconstituted into lipid bilayers was assessed and compared to previous structural data obtained from crystallography and modelling. The influence of the membrane potential and the presence of substrate on the conformational heterogeneity of this proton-coupled transporter were investigated. Secondly, NTS1 purification was optimized for biophysical study. Cysteine mutants were created and a labelling protocol was developed and optimized for fluorophore and nitroxide labelling studies. NTS1 was then studied by continuous-wave EPR, to assess the influence of ligand on local protein dynamics, and to assess the structure of a receptor segment known as helix 8, that was proposed to be an α-helix, but was only observed to be helical in one of the NTS1 crystallographic studies. Ensemble and single-molecule Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET), and DEER were combined to study the dimerisation behaviour of NTS1, showing novel dynamics of the interfacial associations. Finally, the signalling mechanism of NTS1 was also investigated using microscale thermophoresis (MST) to assess the affinity of the receptor for G protein in vitro in the absence of ligand, or in the presence of agonist or antagonist. MST measurements were performed in detergent and in nanodiscs of different lipid compositions, to assess the influence of the lipid environment on receptor function. In summary, this thesis demonstrates the potential of biophysical techniques to study various aspects of membrane protein structure and function in native-like lipid systems, complementing e.g. structural data obtained from crystallographic studies with functional data for membrane proteins in more native environments, as well as shedding light on protein dynamics. The work presented here provides novel insights into PepTSo transport, and in particular into NTS1 structure, signalling, and oligomerisation, opening up several avenues for future research.

A acne é uma condição da pele multifatorial com implicações socioeconômicas importantes. Um dos principais fatores que contribuem com a sua etiologia é a superprodução de sebo. Até o momento, há poucos tratamentos seguros e eficazes disponíveis. O receptor de melanocortina-5 (MC5R), um receptor acoplado à proteína G da família das rodopsinas, é uma das proteínas responsáveis pela diferenciação de sebócitos e consequente produção de sebo, mas não há opções de tratamento através do antagonismo deste receptor. Neste trabalho, investigamos a melanocortina-5 como alvo molecular para a descoberta de ligantes como moduladores da sebogênese. Para tanto, empregamos estudos de modelagem por homologia e triagem virtual baseada em estrutura do alvo para construir um modelo 3D da MC5R e identificar de candidatos a ligantes da proteína, respectivamente. Em seguida, avaliamos o potencial de inibição da sebogênese em sebócitos SEBO662AR em meio lipogênico. Os resultados obtidos indicaram a descoberta de peptídeos e flavonoides com características inibidoras e estimuladoras da produção de sebo. Novos esqueletos moleculares foram identificados como promissores para a modulação da sebogênese. Os estudos realizados permitirão o desenvolvimento de novos ativos dermatológicos e cosméticos com potencial de modular a oleosidade da pele, de modo a contribuir com a mitigação dos efeitos da acne, psoríase, alopecia e seborreia, entre outras doenças. / Acne is a multifactorial skin condition with important socioeconomic implications. One of the main factors that contribute with its etiology is sebum overproduction. Until now, there are few safe, effective treatments available. Melanocortin-5 receptor (MC5R), a G protein-coupled receptor of the rhodopsin family, is one of the proteins responsible for sebocyte differentiation and consequent sebum production, but there are no options for treatment by antagonism of this receptor. In this work, we investigated MC5R as molecular target for the discovery of ligands as sebogenesis modulators. For that, we used homology modeling studies, and structure-based virtual screening in order to, respectively, build a MC5R 3D model and identify ligand candidates for this protein. Then, we evaluated their sebogenesis inhibition potential on SEBO662AR sebocytes in lipogenic conditions. The obtained results indicated the discovery of peptides and flavonoids with inhibitory and stimulatory sebum production characteristics. New scaffolds were identified as promising for sebogenesis modulation. The performed studies will allow the development of novel dermatologic and cosmetic actives with the potential to modulate skin oiliness in order to contribute to the mitigation of the effects of acne, psoriasis, alopecia and seborrhea, among other diseases.

O TSPO (Translocator protein 18 KDa) é uma proteína intracelular localizada na membrana mitocondrial externa, mas também na membrana citoplasmática, e no núcleo. O TSPO está envolvido na biossíntese de esteroides, proliferação celular, apoptose, estresse oxidativo, e na modulação da inflamação, principalmente no sistema nervoso central, onde a proteína é considerada um marcador da neuroinflamação. Os neutrófilos representam células-chave no processo inflamatório sendo as primeiras células a chegarem no foco inflamatório onde exercem atividades fagocíticas, secretórias e microbicidas. O presente trabalho investigou os efeitos de diferentes ligantes de TSPO Diazepam, Ro5-4864 (agonistas parciais) e PK-11195 (antagonista) na ativação dos neutrófilos in vitro focando na via de ativação do Toll-like receptor (TLR) e de receptores transmembranas ligados a proteína G (GPCR). Neutrófilos obtidos da cavidade peritoneal de camundongos BalbC machos quatro horas após injeção do glicogênio de ostra (1%), foram tratados in vitro com meio de cultura, veículo, Diazepam, Ro5-4864, PK-11195 (10, 100, e 1000 nM), e estimulados ou não com Lipopolissacarídeo (LPS) ou Leucotrieno B4 (LTB4). Foram avaliados em condições basais e após estímulo: a expressão de TSPO e de moléculas de adesão por citometria de fluxo; a migração pelo ensaio de quimiotaxia em placa; a produção de citocinas e do óxido nítrico por ELISA e pela reação de Griess, respectivamente; e finalmente, a geração de espécies reativas de oxigênio por espectrofotômetro de fluorescência. Os resultados obtidos mostram que o TSPO é expresso em neutrófilos em condições basais, e que os estímulos inflamatórios com LPS ou LTB4 não alteram essa expressão. Os ligantes de TSPO não afetam as funções de neutrófilos ativados pelo LPS, salvo a acentuação da geração de espécies reativas (ROS) observada com Ro5-4864 em células estimuladas com LPS. Os neutrófilos estimulados pelo LTB4, quando pré-tratados com os ligantes de TSPO, apresentaram redução na clivagem da L-selectina, redução de quimiotaxia, e indução da geração de ROS. Baseado nestes resultados e nos dados da literatura, concluímos que os efeitos dos ligantes de TSPO sobre as funções neutrofílicas concentram-se na expressão de moléculas de adesão, no estresse oxidativo e na migração. Estes efeitos dependem da via de ativação e do tipo celular. / TSPO (Translocator protein 18 kDa) is an intracellular protein located on the out mitochondrial membrane, but also on the cytoplasmatic membrane and in the nucleus. TSPO is involved in endogen steroids substances biosynthesis, cellular proliferation, apoptosis, oxidative stress and in the modulation of inflammatory process, principally in the central nervous system where the protein is a marker of neuroinflammation. Neutrophils are key-cells in the inflammatory process, being the first cell line that reach the inflammatory focus, where they realize their phagocytic, secretory and microbicidal activities. This study assessed the effects of TSPO ligands Diazepam, Ro5-4864 (partial agonists) and PK-11195 (antagonist) on in vitro neutrophils activation, focusing on the Toll-like receptor (TLR) and G protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) pathways. Neutrophils obtained from de peritoneal cavity of male BalbC mouse after four hours of Oyster glycogen injection (1%), were treated in vitro with culture medium, vehicle, Diazepam, Ro5-4864, PK-11195 (10, 100, e 1000 nM) and stimulated or not with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or Leukotriene B4 (LTB4). We assessed in basal conditions and after stimulus:The TSPO and adhesion molecules proteic expression by flow cytometry; the migration by a plate chemotaxis assay; Nitric oxide and cytokines production by ELISA and the Griess reaction, respectively; and finally the reactive oxygen species generation by a fluorescence spectrophotometer. The results show that TSPO is expressed in neutrophils in basal conditions, and that inflammatory stimulus with LPS and LTB4 did not alter this expression. We also show that TSPO ligands did not affect neutrophil function activated by LPS. However, neutrophils stimulated by LTB4, when pre-treated with TSPO ligands shown a reduced L-selectina cleavage, chemotaxis reduction and induction of ROS generation. Based on these data and in literature data, we concluded that the effects of TSPO ligands in neutrophilic functions is concentrated on adhesion molecules expression, on oxidative stress and on the migration. These effects depend to the activation pathways and to the cellular type.

O TSPO (Translocator protein 18 KDa) é uma proteína intracelular localizada na membrana mitocondrial externa, mas também na membrana citoplasmática, e no núcleo. O TSPO está envolvido na biossíntese de esteroides, proliferação celular, apoptose, estresse oxidativo, e na modulação da inflamação, principalmente no sistema nervoso central, onde a proteína é considerada um marcador da neuroinflamação. Os neutrófilos representam células-chave no processo inflamatório sendo as primeiras células a chegarem no foco inflamatório onde exercem atividades fagocíticas, secretórias e microbicidas. O presente trabalho investigou os efeitos de diferentes ligantes de TSPO Diazepam, Ro5-4864 (agonistas parciais) e PK-11195 (antagonista) na ativação dos neutrófilos in vitro focando na via de ativação do Toll-like receptor (TLR) e de receptores transmembranas ligados a proteína G (GPCR). Neutrófilos obtidos da cavidade peritoneal de camundongos BalbC machos quatro horas após injeção do glicogênio de ostra (1%), foram tratados in vitro com meio de cultura, veículo, Diazepam, Ro5-4864, PK-11195 (10, 100, e 1000 nM), e estimulados ou não com Lipopolissacarídeo (LPS) ou Leucotrieno B4 (LTB4). Foram avaliados em condições basais e após estímulo: a expressão de TSPO e de moléculas de adesão por citometria de fluxo; a migração pelo ensaio de quimiotaxia em placa; a produção de citocinas e do óxido nítrico por ELISA e pela reação de Griess, respectivamente; e finalmente, a geração de espécies reativas de oxigênio por espectrofotômetro de fluorescência. Os resultados obtidos mostram que o TSPO é expresso em neutrófilos em condições basais, e que os estímulos inflamatórios com LPS ou LTB4 não alteram essa expressão. Os ligantes de TSPO não afetam as funções de neutrófilos ativados pelo LPS, salvo a acentuação da geração de espécies reativas (ROS) observada com Ro5-4864 em células estimuladas com LPS. Os neutrófilos estimulados pelo LTB4, quando pré-tratados com os ligantes de TSPO, apresentaram redução na clivagem da L-selectina, redução de quimiotaxia, e indução da geração de ROS. Baseado nestes resultados e nos dados da literatura, concluímos que os efeitos dos ligantes de TSPO sobre as funções neutrofílicas concentram-se na expressão de moléculas de adesão, no estresse oxidativo e na migração. Estes efeitos dependem da via de ativação e do tipo celular. / TSPO (Translocator protein 18 kDa) is an intracellular protein located on the out mitochondrial membrane, but also on the cytoplasmatic membrane and in the nucleus. TSPO is involved in endogen steroids substances biosynthesis, cellular proliferation, apoptosis, oxidative stress and in the modulation of inflammatory process, principally in the central nervous system where the protein is a marker of neuroinflammation. Neutrophils are key-cells in the inflammatory process, being the first cell line that reach the inflammatory focus, where they realize their phagocytic, secretory and microbicidal activities. This study assessed the effects of TSPO ligands Diazepam, Ro5-4864 (partial agonists) and PK-11195 (antagonist) on in vitro neutrophils activation, focusing on the Toll-like receptor (TLR) and G protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) pathways. Neutrophils obtained from de peritoneal cavity of male BalbC mouse after four hours of Oyster glycogen injection (1%), were treated in vitro with culture medium, vehicle, Diazepam, Ro5-4864, PK-11195 (10, 100, e 1000 nM) and stimulated or not with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or Leukotriene B4 (LTB4). We assessed in basal conditions and after stimulus:The TSPO and adhesion molecules proteic expression by flow cytometry; the migration by a plate chemotaxis assay; Nitric oxide and cytokines production by ELISA and the Griess reaction, respectively; and finally the reactive oxygen species generation by a fluorescence spectrophotometer. The results show that TSPO is expressed in neutrophils in basal conditions, and that inflammatory stimulus with LPS and LTB4 did not alter this expression. We also show that TSPO ligands did not affect neutrophil function activated by LPS. However, neutrophils stimulated by LTB4, when pre-treated with TSPO ligands shown a reduced L-selectina cleavage, chemotaxis reduction and induction of ROS generation. Based on these data and in literature data, we concluded that the effects of TSPO ligands in neutrophilic functions is concentrated on adhesion molecules expression, on oxidative stress and on the migration. These effects depend to the activation pathways and to the cellular type.

Humane Zytomegalieviren (HCMV) etablieren nach einer Primärinfektion eine lebenslange latente oder persistierende Infektion. Es wird allgemein angenommen, daß hieran die Manipulation der humanen Immunantwort durch das Virus beteiligt ist. Hierzu zählen die Hemmung von zytotoxischen CD8+ T-Zellen durch das Genprodukt US11 und die Beeinträchtigung der Leukozytenwanderung durch die Hemmung des Chemokinsystems durch den Chemokinrezeptor US28. Die Effizienz der US11-vermittelten Hemmung der T-Zell-Aktivierung wurde in einem rekombinanten Modell zur MHC-Klasse-I-vermittelten T-Zell-Aktivierung untersucht. Obwohl die Expression der MHC-Klasse-I-Moleküle durch US11 in dendritische Zellen (DCs) um bis zu 60% vermindert war, konnte keine Hemmung der T-Zell-Proliferation beobachtet werden. US28 ist der einzige funktionelle Rezeptor für die inflammatorischen Chemokine MCP-1, MCP-3, RANTES, MIP-1(, MIP-1( sowie Fraktalkine. Er kann sowohl Liganden-abhängig die Aktivierung von MAPK als auch die konstitutive Aktivierung von NF-(B vermitteln. In der vorliegenden Arbeit konnte mit Hilfe einer Rezeptormutante der Argininrest an Position 129 des DRY-Motivs als Voraussetzung für die Aktivierung der Signalwegen identifiziert werden. Ferner bewirkt die Expression des US28-Rezeptors die Entfernung inflammatorischer Chemokine aus der Umgebung infizierter Zellen. Molekulare Grundlage der Liganden-Depletion stellt die Endozytose des US28-Liganden-Komplexes dar. Es konnte gezeigt werden, daß der US28-Rezeptor eine Umlagerung von (-Arrestin-Molekülen in Vesikel vermittelt, jedoch unabhängig von Arrestin-Molekülen endozytiert wird. Die Endozytose des US28-Rezeptors war abhängig von der GTP-ase Dynamin. Ebenso konnte die Beteiligung des Lipid-Raft-Weges an der US28-Endozytose gezeigt werden. Die Hemmung des Clathrinweges bewirkte jedoch eine zweifach stärkere Verminderung der US28-Endozytose, kann der Clathrin-abhängige Weg als der Hauptweg der US28-Endozytose angesehen werden. / Primary infections of the human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) are followed by a lifelong infection in the state of latency or persistence. It is believed that the virus employs a number of immunomodulatory mechanisms to establish latent infections. Among these are the inhibition of cytotoxic CD8+ T-cells by US11 and the impairment of leukocyte migration by US28. The potency of US11 to mediate the inhibition of T-cell activation was analysed in a model of MHC class I mediated T-cell activation. Surface expression of MHC class I molecules was reduced by 60 % after expression of US11 in murine dendritic cells. In contrast, there was no reduction in the capacity of the dendritic cells to induce T-cell proliferation. The US28 gene product has been characterized as a functional receptor for the inflammatory chemokines RANTES, MCP-1, MCP-3, MIP-1?? MIP-1? and fractalkine.Upon ligand stimulation US28 mediates the activation of MAPK and additionally a constitutive activation of NF-?B. By generating site directed receptor mutant it was shown that the arginine at position 129 represents a structural requirement for both the ligand-induced and the constitutive signaling by US28. Moreover, it was suggested that the US28 dependent sequestration of chemokines from the environment of infected cells hinders leukocytes from the recruitment to sites of viral infection. A molecular mechanism for the ligand depletion is provided by the endocytosis of US28-ligand complexes. Studies revealed that US28 expression induced a redistribution of ?-arrestin molecules into vesicular structures but was dispensable for the endocytosis of the US28 receptor. However, US28 internalization was dependent on the small GTPase dynamin and by impaired receptor endocytosis after inhibition of the lipid raft pathway. Since inhibition of the clathrin dependent pathway resulted in a two-fold stronger reduction of US28 endocytosis, the clathrin-dependent pathway can be considered as the major route of US28 endocytosis.

<p>Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is known to influence a vast number of physiological and behavioral processes such as vasoconstriction, circadian rhythms, feeding, anxiety and memory. Peptides of the NPY family bind to five different cloned G-protein coupled receptor subtypes (Y1, 2, 4-6). The studies compiled in this thesis present inter-species comparisons of sequence similarities, binding properties and expression patterns among receptors of the NPY family.</p><p>Cloning of Y1 and Y2 receptor subtypes from guinea pigs revealed strong binding profile similarity to the corresponding human receptors. Previously demonstrated atypical binding profiles in the caval vein of guinea pigs were concluded to result from other receptors than the cloned Y1 and Y2 receptors, or possibly combinations of distinct receptor subtypes.</p><p>The guinea pig Y5 receptor was found to be expressed in regions of the brain that have been indicated as important for regulation of food intake. Expression in the hypothalamus, amygdala and brain stem was noticed, similar to studies in rats and humans. In other brain regions, such as the striatum and hippocampus, some species differences were observed.</p><p>Mutagenesis studies of the human Y1 receptor indicated sites important for binding both of endogenous agonists and synthetic antagonists. Putative new sites of interaction with the Y1 antagonists BIBP3226 and/or SR120819A were recognized. The data were used to construct a three-dimensional structure model, based on a high-resolution bovine rhodopsin model.</p><p>Cloning of the chicken (<i>Gallus gallus</i>) Y1, Y2 and Y5 receptors revealed high sequence similarities with mammalian receptors. Most endogenous ligands bound with similar affinities as to mammalian receptors. The strongest exception was the discovery of high-affinity binding to chicken Y2 of [Leu³¹, Pro³⁴]NPY, which was previously considered to bind non-Y2 receptors only. </p><p>The new human Y1 receptor model provides a basis for further investigations of ligand-receptor interactions which will be aided by information on NPY receptors from other taxa. Guinea pigs are concluded to be a good complement to rats and mice for studying NPY signaling. These results demonstrate the benefits of species comparisons for pharmacological studies.</p>

It has been shown that the amino terminus and second extracellular loop (EC2) of CXCR2 are crucial for ligand binding and receptor activation. The lack of an ionic lock motif in the third intracellular loop of CXCR2 focuses an investigation of the mechanism by which these two extracellular regions contribute to receptor recognition and activation. The first objective of this investigation was to predict the structure of CXCR2 based on known structures of crystallized GPCRs. Rhodopsin, β2-adrenergic receptor, CXCR4 were used for homology modeling of CXCR2 structure. Highly conserved motifs found in sequence alignments of the template GPCRs were helpful to generate CXCR2 models. We also studied solvent accessibility of residues in the EC2 of CXCR2 in the inactive state. Most of the residues in the EC2 were found to be solvent accessible in the inactive state, suggesting the residues might be involved in ligand recognition. Second, we studied the role of charged residues in the EC2 of CXCR2 in ligand binding and receptor activation using constitutively active mutants (CAM) of CXCR2, D9K and D9R. Combinatorial mutations consisting of the CAM in the amino terminus and single mutations of charged residues in the EC2 were generated to study two concepts including “attraction” and “repulsion” models. The mutant receptors were used to test their effects on cell surface expression, ligand binding, receptor activation through PLC-β3, and cellular transformation. All the mutations in the repulsion model result in CXCR2 receptors that are unable to bind ligand, suggesting that each of the Arg residues in the EC2 are important for ligand recognition. Interestingly, mutations in the attraction model partially inhibited receptor activation by the CAM D9K, suggesting that Glu198 and Asp199 residues in the EC2 are associated with receptor activation. Furthermore, a novel CAM, E198A/D199A, was identified in this study. These negatively charged residues are very close to a conserved disulfide bond linking the EC2 and the third transmembrane. In this sense, these current discoveries concerning the structural basis of CXCR2 and interdisciplinary approaches would provide new insights to investigate unknown mechanisms of interaction with its cognate ligands and receptor activation.

Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is known to influence a vast number of physiological and behavioral processes such as vasoconstriction, circadian rhythms, feeding, anxiety and memory. Peptides of the NPY family bind to five different cloned G-protein coupled receptor subtypes (Y1, 2, 4-6). The studies compiled in this thesis present inter-species comparisons of sequence similarities, binding properties and expression patterns among receptors of the NPY family. Cloning of Y1 and Y2 receptor subtypes from guinea pigs revealed strong binding profile similarity to the corresponding human receptors. Previously demonstrated atypical binding profiles in the caval vein of guinea pigs were concluded to result from other receptors than the cloned Y1 and Y2 receptors, or possibly combinations of distinct receptor subtypes. The guinea pig Y5 receptor was found to be expressed in regions of the brain that have been indicated as important for regulation of food intake. Expression in the hypothalamus, amygdala and brain stem was noticed, similar to studies in rats and humans. In other brain regions, such as the striatum and hippocampus, some species differences were observed. Mutagenesis studies of the human Y1 receptor indicated sites important for binding both of endogenous agonists and synthetic antagonists. Putative new sites of interaction with the Y1 antagonists BIBP3226 and/or SR120819A were recognized. The data were used to construct a three-dimensional structure model, based on a high-resolution bovine rhodopsin model. Cloning of the chicken (Gallus gallus) Y1, Y2 and Y5 receptors revealed high sequence similarities with mammalian receptors. Most endogenous ligands bound with similar affinities as to mammalian receptors. The strongest exception was the discovery of high-affinity binding to chicken Y2 of [Leu31, Pro34]NPY, which was previously considered to bind non-Y2 receptors only. The new human Y1 receptor model provides a basis for further investigations of ligand-receptor interactions which will be aided by information on NPY receptors from other taxa. Guinea pigs are concluded to be a good complement to rats and mice for studying NPY signaling. These results demonstrate the benefits of species comparisons for pharmacological studies.