pan ET Background Information Endothelins (ETs) exhibit strong constrictor activity over non-vascular and vascular smooth muscle. ETs can affect the central nervous system and neuronal excitability. The two receptor subtypes responsible for inducing vasoconstriction and vasodilation, ETA and ETB, are expressed in the lung, kidney, heart and liver. The genes encodeing human ET-1, 2 and 3 (EDN1, EDN2 and EDN3) map to chromosomes 6p23-p24, 1p34 and 20q13.2-q13.3, respectively. Of the three 21 amino acid isopeptides, ET-2 has the most potent vasoconstrictor activity. Biologically active ETs are proteolytically generated from a larger precursor, big-endothelin, by action of the endothelin-converting enzyme (ECE) family. ET-1 is a potent vasoconstrictor peptide produced by vascular endothelial cells. The ET-2 cDNA is 1.3 kb in length and encodes a proprotein consisting of 178 amino acid residues. ET-3 mRNA encodes a 230 amino acid precursor that includes ET-3 and a 15 amino acid homologous segment called the ET-3-like sequence. Pan ET antibodies provide detection for a range of endothelin proteins.
