Inflammation and Alzheimer's disease.

A review of central 5-HT receptors and their function

http://www.back-in-business-physiotherapy.com/images/files/DescendingControl.pdf

Descending control of pain.

This review is focused on purinergic neurotransmission, i.e., ATP released from nerves as a transmitter or cotransmitter to act as an extracellular signaling molecule on both pre- and postjunctional membranes at neuroeffector junctions and synapses, as well as acting as a trophic factor during development and regeneration. Emphasis is placed on the physiology and pathophysiology of ATP, but extracellular roles of its breakdown product, adenosine, are also considered because of their intimate interactions. The early history of the involvement of ATP in autonomic and skeletal neuromuscular transmission and in activities in the central nervous system and ganglia is reviewed. Brief background information is given about the identification of receptor subtypes for purines and pyrimidines and about ATP storage, release, and ectoenzymatic breakdown. Evidence that ATP is a cotransmitter in most, if not all, peripheral and central neurons is presented, as well as full accounts of neurotransmission and neuromodulation in autonomic and sensory ganglia and in the brain and spinal cord. There is coverage of neuron-glia interactions and of purinergic neuroeffector transmission to nonmuscular cells. To establish the primitive and widespread nature of purinergic neurotransmission, both the ontogeny and phylogeny of purinergic signaling are considered. Finally, the pathophysiology of purinergic neurotransmission in both peripheral and central nervous systems is reviewed, and speculations are made about future developments.

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Physiology and Pathophysiology of Purinergic Neurotransmission

Molecular biology of 5-HT receptors

We have used the polymerase chain reaction technique to selectively amplify a guanine nucleotide-binding protein-coupled receptor cDNA sequence from rat striatal mRNA that exhibits high homology to previously cloned serotonin receptors. Sequencing of a full length clone isolated from a rat striatal cDNA library revealed an open reading frame of 1311 base pairs, encoding a 437-residue protein with seven hydrophobic regions. Within these hydrophobic regions, this receptor was found to be 41-36% identical to the following serotonin [5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)] receptors: 5-HT2 > 5-HT1D > 5-HT1C > 5-HT1B > 5-HT1A > 5-HT1E. Northern blots revealed a approximately 4.2-kilobase transcript localized in various brain regions, with the following rank order of abundance: striatum >> olfactory tubercle > cerebral cortex > hippocampus. Expression of this clone in COS-7 cells resulted in the appearance of high affinity, saturable binding of (+)-[2-125I] iodolysergic acid diethylamide ([125I]LSD) with a Kd of 1.26 nM. Among endogenous biogenic amines, only 5-HT completely inhibited [125I]LSD binding (Ki = 150 nM). The inhibition of [125I]LSD binding by other serotonergic agonists and antagonists revealed a pharmacological profile that does not correlate with that of any previously described serotonin receptor subtype. In addition, this receptor exhibits high affinity for a number of tricyclic antipsychotic and antidepressant drugs, including clozapine, amoxipine, and amitriptyline. In HEK-293 cells stably transfected with this receptor, serotonin elicits a potent stimulation of adenylyl cyclase activity, which is blocked by antipsychotic and antidepressant drugs. The distinct structural and pharmacological properties of this receptor site indicate that it represents a completely novel subtype of serotonin receptor. Based on its affinity for tricyclic psychotropic drugs and its localization to limbic and cortical regions of the brain, it is likely that this receptor may play a role in several neuropsychiatric disorders that involve serotonergic systems.

Cloning and expression of a novel serotonin receptor with high affinity for tricyclic psychotropic drugs.

Localization of serotonin subtype 6 receptor messenger RNA in the rat brain by in situ hybridization histochemistry.

There are two primary output pathways from the striatum: a projection to the globus pallidus, and projection to the substantia nigra. Certain striatally expressed neuropeptides are differentially distributed between these two pathways. Specifically, enkephalin is expressed in striatopallidal neurons, whereas substance P and dynorphin are expressed in striatonigral neurons. Several serotonin receptors are also prominently expressed in the striatum, but little is known about how they fit into the molecular neuroanatomy described above. We used double-label in situ hybridization to determine the striatal distribution of the mRNAs of the serotonin2A (5-HT2A), serotonin2C (5-HT2C), and serotonin6 (5-HT6) receptors in relation to enkephalin, substance P, and dynorphin expressing output neurons. Rat brain sections were simultaneously hybridized with an 35S riboprobe for one of the serotonin receptors and a digoxygenin labeled riboprobe for one of the neuropeptides. Sections were examined by using brightfield microscopy, and the degree of colocalization of the two mRNAs determined. All the serotonin receptors colocalized extensively with all three of the neuropeptides examined. None of the serotonin receptors showed preferential colocalization in striatopallidal (enkephalin containing), or striatonigral (substance P or dynorphin containing) cells. The 5-HT2A and 5-HT2C mRNAs displayed a differential distribution with regard to the scattered islands of strongly dynorphin mRNA positive cells, which are thought to reside in the striatal patch compartment. Within these islands, 5-HT2C mRNA expression was much higher than in surrounding areas. 5-HT2A mRNA showed the opposite pattern with decreased expression over dynorphin rich cell clusters.

Colocalization of serotonin receptor subtypes 5-ht2a, 5-ht2c, and 5-ht6 with neuropeptides in rat striatum

Molecular and behavioral effects mediated by Gs-coupled adenosine A2a, but not serotonin 5-HT4 or 5-HT6 receptors following antipsychotic administration

Acute blockade of dopamine D(2) receptors by the typical antipsychotic drug haloperidol leads to alterations in neuronal gene expression and behavior. In the dorsolateral striatum, the levels of mRNA for the immediate-early gene c-fos and the neuropeptide gene neurotensin/neuromedin N (NT/N) are significantly increased by haloperidol. An acute behavioral response to haloperidol is catalepsy, considered to be a rodent correlate of some of the immediate extrapyramidal motor side effects seen in humans. Several lines of evidence suggest a link between neurotensin induction in the dorsolateral striatum and catalepsy. We hypothesize that both striatal gene induction and catalepsy elicited by haloperidol arise from the combined effect of excitatory adenosinergic and glutamatergic inputs acting at adenosine A(2A) and N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors, respectively. In agreement with our previous reports, adenosine antagonists reduced haloperidol-induced c-fos and neurotensin gene expression as well as catalepsy. In agreement with other reports, the noncompetitive NMDA receptor antagonist MK-801 also reduced gene expression and catalepsy in response to haloperidol. The competitive NMDA receptor antagonist LY235959 decreased haloperidol-induced catalepsy. We show here that blocking both A(2A) and NMDA receptors simultaneously in conjunction with haloperidol resulted in a combined effect on gene expression and behavior that was greater than that for block of either receptor alone. Both c-fos and NT/N mRNA levels were reduced, and catalepsy was completely abolished. These results indicate that the haloperidol-induced increases in c-fos and NT gene expression in the dorsolateral striatum and catalepsy are driven largely by adenosine and glutamatergic inputs acting at A(2A) and NMDA receptors.

Raymond P. Ward

Papers

Cloning and expression of a novel serotonin receptor with high affinity for tricyclic psychotropic drugs.

Localization of serotonin subtype 6 receptor messenger RNA in the rat brain by in situ hybridization histochemistry.

Colocalization of serotonin receptor subtypes 5-ht2a, 5-ht2c, and 5-ht6 with neuropeptides in rat striatum

Molecular and behavioral effects mediated by Gs-coupled adenosine A2a, but not serotonin 5-HT4 or 5-HT6 receptors following antipsychotic administration

Role of adenosine and N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors in mediating haloperidol-induced gene expression and catalepsy.