title: Pharmacological and molecular evidence for dopamine D(1) receptor expression by striatal astrocytes in culture.
abstract: The neurotransmitter dopamine (DA) at a 10 microM concentration elicited a stimulation of intracellular cyclic AMP (cAMP) accumulation in cultured astrocytes derived from embryonic rat striatum. This accumulation was partially blocked by the beta-adrenergic receptors antagonist propranolol, mimicked by the D(1) agonist SKF 38393 and by the mixed D(1)/D(2) agonist apomorphine. A regional heterogeneity in the magnitude of dopamine-induced cAMP accumulation was observed in cultured astrocytes obtained from different brain areas. The maximum effect was observed in striatal astrocytes, a lower effect in cortical astrocytes, and no increase was detected in cerebellar astrocytes. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) coupled to Southern blot hybridization demonstrated that striatal astrocytes express only D(1) receptor mRNA and Western blot analysis confirmed the expression of the D(1) receptor protein in striatal astrocytes. In contrast to what found in neurons, the D(1)-dependent cAMP formation in striatal astrocytes is partially reduced by pertussis toxin (PTX) treatment. The stimulation of D(1) receptors or the activation of adenylyl cyclase by forskolin led to an increase of cytosolic and nuclear protein kinase A (PKA) catalytic activity. The presence of dopamine D(1) receptors in cultured striatal astrocytes suggests a role of dopamine in the regulation of cellular processes in striatal astrocytes.
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Farmacologia, Facoltà di Farmacia, Università di Pavia, Pavia, Italy.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zanassi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Paolillo
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Montecucco
authors.forename: E V
authors.initials: EV
authors.lastname: Avvedimento
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schinelli
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D000242:Cyclic AMP / Q000502:physiology; D017868:Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D004298:Dopamine / Q000502:physiology; D018491:Dopamine Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D018492:Dopamine Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D015151:Immunoblotting; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D017072:Neostriatum / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D017447:Receptors, Dopamine D1 / Q000819:agonists / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D018491:Dopamine Agonists; D018492:Dopamine Antagonists; D017447:Receptors, Dopamine D1; D000242:Cyclic AMP; D017868:Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases; D004298:Dopamine