Physiological implications of adenosine receptor‐mediated platelet aggregation |
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Authors: | Hillary A. Johnston‐Cox Dan Yang Katya Ravid |
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Affiliation: | Departments of Medicine and Biochemistry, Whitaker Cardiovascular Institute, Evans Center for Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts |
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Abstract: | Adenosine is an important mediator of inhibition of platelet activation. This metabolite is released from various cells, as well as generated via activity of ecto‐enzymes on the cell surface. Binding of adenosine to A2 subtypes (A2A or A2B), G‐protein coupled adenosine receptors, results in increased levels of intracellular cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), a strong inhibitor of platelet activation. The role and importance of adenosine and its receptors in platelet physiology are addressed in this review, including recently identified roles for the A2B adenosine receptor as a modulator of platelet activation through its newly described role in the control of expression of adenosine diphosphate (ADP) receptors. J. Cell. Physiol. 226: 46–51, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc. |
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