Adenosine triphosphate: a multifaceted chemical signal in the nervous system.

摘要

The concept of purinergic neurotransmission was introduced in 1972 by Burnstock,1 who showed that adenosine triphosphate (ATP) mediated nonadrener-gic, noncholinergic neurotransmission in autonomic nerves. Since then, it has been increasingly recognized that ATP acts as a neurotransmitter in both the peripheral and central nervous systems and is also an important transmitter of signals between different types of glial cells. The effects of ATP are mediated by various subtypes of purinergic (P)2 receptors that are widely distributed in both neurons and glial cells; ATP acts both as a fast excitatory neurotransmitter and as a neuro-modulator, both direcdy and via its conversion to adenosine. Experimental studies indicate that ATP is involved in sensory transduction, autonomic control, synaptic modulation in both the central and peripheral nervosus systems, and neuron-glia and glia-glia interactions. ATP promotes cell proliferation, growth, and development. Not surprisingly, experimental evidence indicates that ATP may have a role in different neurologic disorders, including pain, ischemia, trauma, seizures, and inflammatory and neurodegenerative disorders. The functions of ATP as a signal among different cell groups and its potential involvement in disease have been the subject of several excellent reviews2"5 and only some key concepts are emphasized here.