title: Decoding dopamine signaling.
abstract: Dopamine is a key neurotransmitter that is important for many physiological functions including motor control, mood, and the reward pathway. In this issue of Cell, the laboratories of Marc Caron and Li-Huei Tsai identify two very different molecules--beta-arrestin 2 and Par-4, respectively--that unexpectedly are involved in dopamine signaling via the D2 receptor. These two new signaling pathways mediate the actions of dopamine on behavior and facilitate crosstalk between different signaling pathways that are activated by binding of dopamine to the D2 receptor.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas 75390, USA.
authors.forename: James A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Bibb
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D051017:Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins; D019390:Arrestins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D004298:Dopamine / Q000502:physiology*; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D051379:Mice; D009154:Mutation; D017448:Receptors, Dopamine D2 / Q000819:agonists / Q000502:physiology*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology*; D000071560:beta-Arrestin 2; D000071557:beta-Arrestins
chemical_list: D051017:Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins; C000605258:Arrb2 protein, mouse; D019390:Arrestins; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D017448:Receptors, Dopamine D2; D000071560:beta-Arrestin 2; D000071557:beta-Arrestins; C101296:prostate apoptosis response-4 protein; D004298:Dopamine