title: [Expression of dopamine receptor D2 in pulmonary carcinoma cells and effects of dopamine on the cell apoptosis].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To detect the expression of dopamine receptor D2 in different pulmonary carcinoma cells and investigate the effect of dopamine in inducing apoptosis of A549 cells.
  
  
  METHODS
  Western blotting and RT-PCR were employed to detect the expression of dopamine receptor D2 in different pulmonary carcinoma cells (95D, H460, GLC-82, A549 and H446 cells). The apoptosis of A549 cells after a 6-hour exposure to 0.02%, 0.04%, 0.08% and 0.1% dopamine was analyzed by flow cytometry. The apoptosis-inducing effect of dopamine in vivo was also tested by intratumoral injection of 1% dopamine in 2 BALB/c-nu mice bearing A549 tumor xenograft using flow cytometry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The presence of dopamine receptor D2 expression was detected by Western blotting and RT-PCR in 95D, H460, GLC-82, A549 and H446 cells. Flow cytometry detected obvious apoptosis of A549 cells following dopamine exposure in vitro in positive correlation to dopamine concentration. In the tumor-bearing mice, dopamine also showed an obvious apoptosis-inducing effect on A549 cells.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Dopamine receptor D2 exists extensively in different pulmonary carcinoma cells. Dopamine may promote the apoptosis of pulmonary carcinoma cells through dopamine receptor D2.
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Surgery, General Hospital of PLA, Beijing 100853, China. pengyanghong123@yahoo.com.cn
authors.forename: Yang-hong
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.forename: Jing-ming
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Nai-kang
authors.initials: NK
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Shan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D000077192:Adenocarcinoma of Lung; D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D004298:Dopamine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008819:Mice, Nude; D017448:Receptors, Dopamine D2 / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D017448:Receptors, Dopamine D2; D004298:Dopamine