This themed section of the British Journal of Pharmacology contains reviews on recent developments in
endothelin research arising from the Twelfth International Conference on
Endothelin (ET-12). It includes the emerging role for
endothelin-2 in the cardiovascular system, ovarian development, immunology and
cancer. The action of
endothelin on two key targets is discussed: the paracrine or autocrine regulation of contractility and growth in the heart and the role of
endothelin in renal disease. Epidemiological studies have demonstrated
cardiovascular disease and circulating levels of
endothelin-1 are lower in premenopausal women than in men and evidence is presented for the contribution of sex differences in responses to the
peptide. Transcription is the primary level of regulation of the
endothelin gene; and current research on the epigenetic regulation of the
endothelin pathway, including the silencing of the EDNRB gene encoding the ET(B) receptor during tumourigenesis, is reviewed.
LINKED ARTICLES: This article is part of a themed section on
Endothelin. To view the other articles in this section visit http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/bph.2013.168.issue-1. To view the previously published paper by Dhaun et al. visit http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1476-5381.2012.02070.x.