摘要：

This chapter explores possible receptors in aminergic neurotransmission. The importance of biogenic amines as potential transmitters in the nervous system makes it desirable to identify the receptors for these compounds and to understand the molecular consequences of the activation of these receptors. In many non-neural tissues, the receptors for various hormones are intimately associated with the enzyme adenylate cyclase. It has been found that preganglionic stimulation of the rabbit superior cervical sympathetic ganglion results in a several-fold increase in the levels of ganglionic cyclic AMP. Various experiments have indicated that this increase is associated with the process of synaptic transmission within the ganglion, and that the increase can be blocked by alpha adrenergic antagonists as well as by muscarinic cholinergic antagonists. These as well as other results suggested that the increase in cyclic AMP following electrical stimulation might occur as a consequence of dopamine being released from the interneurons and interacting with a receptor on the postganglionic cells. The results discussed in the chapter suggest that adenylate cyclase may be intimately associated with the function of certain types of aminergic receptors in both vertebrate and invertebrate nervous systems.

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