Neil S Holden, Matthew J Bell, Christopher F Rider, Elizabeth M King, David D Gaunt, Richard Leigh, Malcolm Johnson, David P Siderovski, Scott P Heximer, Mark A Giembycz, Robert Newton
In asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, activation of G(q)-protein-coupled receptors causes bronchoconstriction. In each case, the management of moderate-to-severe disease uses inhaled corticosteroid (glucocorticoid)/long-acting β(2)-adrenoceptor agonist (LABA) combination therapies, which are more efficacious than either monotherapy alone. In primary human airway smooth muscle cells, glucocorticoid/LABA combinations synergistically induce the expression of regulator of G-protein signaling 2 (RGS2), a GTPase-activating protein that attenuates G(q) signaling...
December 6, 2011: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America