Chapter 2. Eicosanoid Structures and Biosynthesis 11 The Mammalian Model of Eicosanoid Biosynthesis

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This chapter is in the book Eicosanoids in Invertebrate Signal Transduction Systems

CHAPTER 2 Eicosanoid Structures and Biosynthesis As SEEN in most specialized fields of scholarly activity, research in eico-sanoids has generated a language and set of conventions that are commonly helpful in conveying the concepts encompassed by eicosanoids. Our understanding of eicosanoids was developed from research on the chemistry, biochemistry, and biology of these molecules in mammalian systems. This research has produced a very large corpus of literature which, for convenience, we can refer to as the "mammalian model." The mammalian model is the source of most of the language used in discourse on eicosanoids. Probably because research on eicosanoid actions in mammals preceded inquiry into invertebrates by a couple of decades, a great deal of the language is based on the mammalian model. At the end of this chapter, I will stress the point that the background from mammals can be very useful in developing our interests in eicosanoid systems in invertebrates. However, in this chapter and elsewhere in this book, we will see several instances in which the mammalian model is misleading with respect to invertebrates. In other instances, we simply do not have enough information to judge how well invertebrate systems fit into the mammalian background. This chapter is meant to provide a brief overview of several elements of the mammalian model, including the structures of known eicosanoids, and outlines of their biosynthetic pathways. The information in this chapter is drawn from a host of especially useful reviews, cited here as a convenient entry to the literature (Samuelsson et al. 1978, Samuelsson 1983, Needleman et al. 1986, Spector et al. 1988, Pace-Asciak and Asorta 1989, McGiff 1991, Holtzman 1992, Smith 1992, Negishi et al. 1993, Young 1994, Ford-Hutchinson 1994, Serhan 1994, Otto and Smith 1995, Metters 1995, Clark et al. 1995, Negishi et al. 1995b, Smith et al. 1996). Recognizing the impressive volume of published information, a comprehensive review of the topic is beyond the scope of this chapter. Before launching into the following overview, let us set a few conventions for this volume. Many of the eicosanoids and the enzymes responsible for the biosynthesis of eicosanoids have rather long nomenclature, such as hy-droxyeicosatetraenoic acid. Accordingly, the terms have been abbreviated, often in various ways, over the years. The result is a complex alphabet soup, some of which has to be relearned on each reading of a review or journal

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CHAPTER 2 Eicosanoid Structures and Biosynthesis As SEEN in most specialized fields of scholarly activity, research in eico-sanoids has generated a language and set of conventions that are commonly helpful in conveying the concepts encompassed by eicosanoids. Our understanding of eicosanoids was developed from research on the chemistry, biochemistry, and biology of these molecules in mammalian systems. This research has produced a very large corpus of literature which, for convenience, we can refer to as the "mammalian model." The mammalian model is the source of most of the language used in discourse on eicosanoids. Probably because research on eicosanoid actions in mammals preceded inquiry into invertebrates by a couple of decades, a great deal of the language is based on the mammalian model. At the end of this chapter, I will stress the point that the background from mammals can be very useful in developing our interests in eicosanoid systems in invertebrates. However, in this chapter and elsewhere in this book, we will see several instances in which the mammalian model is misleading with respect to invertebrates. In other instances, we simply do not have enough information to judge how well invertebrate systems fit into the mammalian background. This chapter is meant to provide a brief overview of several elements of the mammalian model, including the structures of known eicosanoids, and outlines of their biosynthetic pathways. The information in this chapter is drawn from a host of especially useful reviews, cited here as a convenient entry to the literature (Samuelsson et al. 1978, Samuelsson 1983, Needleman et al. 1986, Spector et al. 1988, Pace-Asciak and Asorta 1989, McGiff 1991, Holtzman 1992, Smith 1992, Negishi et al. 1993, Young 1994, Ford-Hutchinson 1994, Serhan 1994, Otto and Smith 1995, Metters 1995, Clark et al. 1995, Negishi et al. 1995b, Smith et al. 1996). Recognizing the impressive volume of published information, a comprehensive review of the topic is beyond the scope of this chapter. Before launching into the following overview, let us set a few conventions for this volume. Many of the eicosanoids and the enzymes responsible for the biosynthesis of eicosanoids have rather long nomenclature, such as hy-droxyeicosatetraenoic acid. Accordingly, the terms have been abbreviated, often in various ways, over the years. The result is a complex alphabet soup, some of which has to be relearned on each reading of a review or journal

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