Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
2197109 | Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology | 2010 | 8 Pages |
Abstract
Adenosine 5â²-triphosphate is frequently released by cells and acts as an agonist for G protein-coupled P2Y receptors and ligand-gated P2X cationic channels in numerous tissues. The breakdown of ATP by ectonucleotidases not only terminates its extracellular messenger functions, but also provides a pathway for the generation of two additional agonists: adenosine 5â²-diphosphate, acting via some P2Y receptors, and adenosine, a native agonist for G protein-coupled adenosine receptors. In the pituitary gland, adenosine 5â²-triphosphate is released from the endings of magnocellular hypothalamic neurons and by anterior pituitary cells through pathway(s) that are still not well characterized. This gland also expresses several members of each family of purinergic receptors. P2X and adenosine receptors are co-expressed in the somata and nerve terminals of vasopressin-releasing neurons as well as in some secretory pituitary cells. P2X receptors stimulate electrical activity and modulate InsP3-dependent calcium release from intracellular stores, whereas adenosine receptors terminate electrical activity. Calcium-mobilizing P2Y receptors are expressed in pituicytes, folliculo-stellate cells and some secretory cells of the anterior pituitary.
Related Topics
Life Sciences
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
Cell Biology
Authors
Stanko S. Stojilkovic, Mu-Lan He, Taka-aki Koshimizu, Ales Balik, Hana Zemkova,