[Endothelin receptor/physiological role].

Ten years have passed since endothelin (ET) was identified. The physiological roles of ET isopeptide family and its receptor subtypes have been much clarified by means of pharmacological, biochemical and molecular biological approaches. Especially, analyses with ET receptor blockers and approaches with gene-targeting of ET isopeptides and ET receptor subtypes accelerate the pace of investigations into the true physiological and pathophysiological roles of ET system. Here, we introduce the structure of ET receptor subtypes and their intracellular signal transduction. And, we discuss the physiological role of ET receptor subtypes on basis of information obtained from ET receptor-deficient mice.