Pharmacological characterization of the zebrafish Hrh2a histamine H receptor.

The zebrafish, Danio rerio, is a widely adopted in vivo model that conserves organs such as the liver, kidney, stomach, and brain, being, therefore, suitable for studying human diseases, drug discovery and toxicology. The brain aminergic systems are also conserved and the histamine H, H and H receptors were previously cloned and identified in the zebrafish brain. Genome studies identified another putative H receptor (Hrh2) with ∼50% sequence identity with H receptor orthologs.

Initial Characterization of a Transgenic Mouse with Overexpression of the Human H-Histamine Receptor on the Heart.

There is a debate on whether H-histamine receptors can alter contractility in the mammalian heart. We studied here a new transgenic mouse model where we increased genetically the cardiac level of the H-histamine receptor. We wanted to know if histamine could augment or decrease contractile parameters in mice with cardiac-specific overexpression of human H-histamine receptors (H-TG) and compared these findings with those in littermate wild-type mice (WT).

Angiopoietin 1 and integrin beta 1b are vital for zebrafish brain development.

Introduction: Angiopoietin 1 (angpt1) is essential for angiogenesis. However, its role in neurogenesis is largely undiscovered. This study aimed to identify the role of angpt1 in brain development, the mode of action of angpt1, and its prime targets in the zebrafish brain.

Initial characterization of a transgenic mouse with overexpression of the human D-dopamine receptor in the heart.

Dopamine can exert effects in the mammalian heart via five different dopamine receptors. There is controversy whether dopamine receptors increase contractility in the human heart. Therefore, we have generated mice that overexpress the human D-dopamine receptor in the heart (D-TG) and hypothesized that dopamine increases force of contraction and beating rate compared to wild-type mice (WT).

Pharmacological Characterization of the Zebrafish (Danio Rerio) Histamine H Receptor Reveals the Involvement of the Second Extracellular Loop in the Binding of Histamine.

The zebrafish (Danio rerio) histamine H receptor gene (zfHR) was cloned in 2007 and reported to be involved in fish locomotion. Yet, no detailed characterization of its pharmacology and signaling properties have so far been reported. In this study, we pharmacologically characterized the zfHR expressed in HEK-293T cells by means of [H]-mepyramine binding and G protein-signaling assays.