TY - JOUR A1 - Giebing, Günter A1 - Tölle, Markus A1 - Jürgensen, Jana A1 - Eichhorst, Jenny A1 - Furkert, Jens A1 - Beyermann, Michael A1 - Neuschäfer-Rube, Frank A1 - Rosenthal, Walter A1 - Zidek, Walter A1 - van der Giet, Markus A1 - Oksche, Alexander T1 - Arrestin-independent internalization and recycling of the urotensin receptor contribute to long-lasting urotensin II - Mediated vasoconstriction N2 - Urotensin II (UII), which acts on the G protein-coupled urotensin ( UT) receptor, elicits long-lasting vasoconstriction. The role of UT receptor internalization and intracellular trafficking in vasoconstriction has yet not been analyzed. Therefore, UII-mediated contractile responses of aortic ring preparations in wire myography and rat UT (rUT) receptor internalization and intracellular trafficking in binding and imaging analyses were compared. UII elicited a concentration-dependent vasoconstriction of rat aorta (-log EC50, mol/L:9.0 +/- 0.1). A second application of UII after 30 minutes elicited a reduced contraction (36 +/- 4% of the initial response), but when applied after 60 minutes elicited a full contraction. In internalization experiments with radioactive labeled VII (I-125-UII), approximate to 70% of rUT receptors expressed on the cell surface of human embryonic kidney 293 cells were sequestered within 30 minutes (half life [t(h)]: 5.6 +/- 0.2 minutes), but recycled quantitatively within 60 minutes (t(h) 31.9 +/- 2.6 minutes). UII- bound rUT receptors were sorted to early and recycling endosomes, as evidenced by colocalization of rUT receptors with the early endosomal antigen and the transferrin receptor. Real-time imaging with a newly developed fluorescent UII (Cy3- UII) revealed that rUT receptors recruited arrestin3 green fluorescent protein to the plasma membrane. Arrestin3 was not required for the endocytosis of the rUT receptor, however, as internalization of Cy3-UII was not altered in mouse embryonic fibroblasts lacking endogenous arrestin2/arrestin3 expression. The data demonstrate that the rUT receptor internalizes arrestin independently and recycles quantitatively. The continuous externalization of rUT receptors provides the basis for repetitive and lasting UII-mediated vasoconstriction Y1 - 2005 SN - 0009-7330 ER -