Grace Yoo

Differential Desensitization of the Urotensin II Receptor

The neuropeptides Urotensin II (UII) and Urotensin II-related peptide (URP) are ligands that affect the cardiovascular system as well as osmoregulatory events upon binding to the Urotensin II receptor (UT). Thus, the urotensinergic system is implicated in pathophysiological states of cardiovascular, renal, liver, and neurological disorders.

UII and URP are two strikingly similar molecules that are expressed in the same tissues at the same time, yet cause different physiological effects. To better understand the ligands’ effects on UT, I created an assay to determine whether or not they differentially desensitize UT. The assay that I created simulates desensitization in a way that previous assays did not and is now being adapted to other experiments for my lab.