THE ELASTIN-LAMININ RECEPTOR MEDIATES END OTHELIUM-DEPENDENT VASORELAXATION OF RAT AORTA

The elastin-laminin receptor was shown to be present on several benign and malignant cell types and to mediate several important cell reacti ons such as chemotactic movements of fibroblasts and monocytes, releas e of lytic enzymes and oxygen free radicals from leucocytes, increased adhesion of mesenchymal cells to elastin fibers as well as modificati ons of ion fluxes-increase of calcium and sodium influxes and decrease of ouabain-dependent potassium influx. We now demonstrated that the a ddition of elastin peptides to rat aorta rings precontracted with nora drenaline produced an endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation. The inhibi tion of this effect by laminin and lactose is in favor of the mediatio n of this action of elastin peptides by the 67 kDa subunit of the elas tin-laminin receptor which possesses a lectin site. As elastin peptide s are present in the circulating blood and their concentration was sho wn to increase in some pathological conditions, this phenomenon may we ll have physiopathological significance.