Chapter 4 P2Y receptors in the nervous system: Molecular studies of a P2Y2 receptor subtype from NG108–15 neuroblastoma x glioma hybrid cells

Abstract

Among the variety of potential P2Y receptor subtypes that may be expressed in the nervous system, P2Y 1 and P2Y 2 receptors are the first to be cloned. A P2Y 2 receptor is cloned from a NG108-15 neuroblastoma x glioma cell cDNA library by expression cloning in Xenopus luevis oocytes and functionally expressed in mammalian cells. The cloning and expression of P2Y receptors have provided the means to address the relevance of these receptors in neurological function. There is also a need to determine P2Y receptor subtype expression patterns in vivo under a variety of physiological and pathological conditions, including cell growth and differentiation, tissue damage and neurological disorders. Ultimately, P2Y receptors may prove to be ideal targets for drug therapies in the nervous system once a fuller understanding of the structural basis for receptor function has evolved. The delineation of P2Y receptor interactions leading to receptor desensitization, sequestration, and downregulation may help control these processes to increase the effectiveness of receptor agonists. The potential that P2Y 2 receptors, in particular, may be localized to focal adhesions to participate in cell-to-cell communication suggests that these receptors may have functions yet to be recognized.