Abstract:
The present invention is directed to compositions comprising lysophosphatidic acid analogs and methods of using such analogs as agonist or antagonists of LPA receptor activity. In addition the invention is directed to LPA receptor agonists that vary in the degree of selectivity at individual LPA receptors (i.e. LPA1, LPA2 and LPA3). More particularly the present invention is directed to LPA analogs wherein the glycerol is replaced with ethanolamine and a variety of substitutions have been linked at the second carbon atom.
Abstract:
The present invention relates to purified smooth muscle progenitor cells and a method for isolating such cells. The purified smooth muscle progenitor cells of the present invention are capable of being induced into the smooth muscle cell lineage at high efficacy (i.e. greater than 60% conversion). The method comprises the steps of transforming cell populations that contain totipotent or pluripotent cells with DNA constructs that are expressed only in the smooth muscle cell lineage, inducing a portion of those cells and identifying those cells that express the construct only after the cells are induced.