Purinergic Receptors in the Nervous System

Pathophysiology and Therapeutic Potential of Purinergic Signaling

“…Functional implications for purinergic signaling in the nervous system include neuron-glia interactions, differentiation of stem cells, diseases of the nervous system and responses to injury, neuroimmune and neurovascular interactions, sympathetic transmission and plasticity, glial cell differentiation, intercellular communication between glia, and myelination (Fields and Stevens, 2000;Burnstock, 2003b;Newman, 2003;Pascual and Haydon, 2003;Bowser and Khakh, 2004;Mulligan and MacVicar, 2004;Davalos et al, 2005;Köles et al, 2005).…”

“…There is evidence for the action of ATP as a cotransmitter with NA and neuropeptide Y in sympathetic nerves, with acetylcholine and vasoactive intestinal peptide in some parasympathetic nerves, with NO and vasoactive intestinal peptide in enteric NANC inhibitory nerves, and with calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) and substance P in senso-PATHOPHYSIOLOGY AND THERAPEUTIC POTENTIAL OF PURINERGIC SIGNALING ry-motor nerves. There is also evidence for the cotransmission of ATP with GABA in retinal nerves, and with glutamate, 5-hydroxytryptamine (serotonin), NA, or dopamine in nerves in the brain (Burnstock, 2003b). In sympathetically innervated tissues, such as the vas deferens or blood vessels, ATP produces fast responses mediated by P2X receptors, followed by a slower component mediated by G protein-coupled ␣-adrenoceptors.…”

“…Synaptic potentials in the celiac ganglion and in the medial habenula in the brain were reversibly antagonized by suramin. Since then, many articles have described either the distribution of various P2 receptor subtypes in the brain and spinal cord or electrophysiological studies of the effects of purines in brain slices, isolated nerves, and glial cells (Burnstock, 2003b). Synaptic transmission has also been demonstrated in the myenteric plexus and in various sensory, sympathetic, and pelvic ganglia (Dunn et al, 2001).…”

Expression of P2X receptors in rat choroid plexus

“…Increasing evidence shows that extracellular ATP regulates nonneuronal and neuronal cell activities in the brain [1]. These include astrocytes, microglial cells and oligodendrocytes [2].…”

Differential activation of subtype purinergic receptors modulates Ca2+ mobilization and COX‐2 in human microglia

“…Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) activates different subtype purinergic receptors in brain, with families designated as metabotropic (P 2Y ) or ionotropic (P 2X ) (Ralevic and Burnstock, 1998;Burnstock, 1999). In rodent and human microglia, acute ATP application causes a rapid transient increase in cytosolic [Ca 2ϩ ] i principally due to release from endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stores (Wang et al, 2000;Moller, 2002).…”