title: Regulation of neuronal communication by G protein-coupled receptors.
abstract: Neuronal communication plays an essential role in the propagation of information in the brain and requires a precisely orchestrated connectivity between neurons. Synaptic transmission is the mechanism through which neurons communicate with each other. It is a strictly regulated process which involves membrane depolarization, the cellular exocytosis machinery, neurotransmitter release from synaptic vesicles into the synaptic cleft, and the interaction between ion channels, G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), and downstream effector molecules. The focus of this review is to explore the role of GPCRs and G protein-signaling in neurotransmission, to highlight the function of GPCRs, which are localized in both presynaptic and postsynaptic membrane terminals, in regulation of intrasynaptic and intersynaptic communication, and to discuss the involvement of astrocytic GPCRs in the regulation of neuronal communication.
authors.affiliation: VIB Center for the Biology of Disease, Leuven, Belgium; Center for Human Genetics (CME) and Leuven Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases (LIND), University of Leuven (KUL), Leuven, Belgium. Electronic address: yunhong.huang@cme.vib-kuleuven.be.
authors.forename: Yunhong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: VIB Center for the Biology of Disease, Leuven, Belgium; Center for Human Genetics (CME) and Leuven Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases (LIND), University of Leuven (KUL), Leuven, Belgium. Electronic address: amantha.thathiah@cme.vib-kuleuven.be.
authors.forename: Amantha
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Thathiah
mesh_terms: D002450:Cell Communication; D006801:Humans; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology*; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled
keywords: Astrocytes; Autoreceptors; G protein-coupled receptors; G-proteins; Neuronal communication; Neurons; Neurotransmitters; Signaling; Synaptic transmission