Heterologous desensitization of the human endothelin A and neurokinin A receptors in Xenopus laevis oocytes.

Endothelin 1 (ET1) desensitizes endothelin A receptor for 90-110 min while neurokinin A (NKA) desensitizes neurokinin A receptor for 25-35 min in Xenopus laevis oocytes. In the present study, endothelin A receptor and neurokinin A receptor were coexpressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes in an effort to characterize heterologous desensitization of the receptors that activate phospholipase C-beta. ET1 desensitizes both the endothelin A receptor and the neurokinin A receptor for 90-110 min, whereas stimulation with NKA desensitizes the same two receptors for only 25-35 min. Homologous and heterologous desensitization experiments were also carried out with endothelin 3 (ET3), a ligand that exhibits lower affinity to the endothelin A receptor and a quicker dissociation rate than ET1. ET3 was unable to desensitize endothelin A receptor and the neurokinin A receptor; this is in contrast to ET1 that desensitizes both receptors. These results suggests that the receptors that undergo homologous desensitization are able to heterologously desensitize other receptors that activate PLC-beta. Furthermore, the agonist-specific dissociation constant dictates the extent of desensitization and time of recovery of the receptor-mediated response.