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Postnatal decrease of sodium current density in rat pituitary melanotropes following the onset of dopaminergic innervation.
- Source :
-
Neuroscience letters [Neurosci Lett] 2001 Nov 27; Vol. 315 (3), pp. 137-40. - Publication Year :
- 2001
-
Abstract
- Peptide secretion from rat melanotropes is tonically inhibited by a dopaminergic synaptic input that develops after birth and acts through D2 dopamine receptors. In this study, whole-cell Na(+) currents were recorded from melanotropes that were isolated from rat pituitary intermediate lobes at postnatal days 1-20 (P1-P20) and maintained in culture for 5-24 h. Coincident with the development of innervation, melanotropes exhibited a progressive decrease in peak Na(+) current density from P3 to P14. The decrease involved a 50% reduction in maximal Na(+) conductance with no detectable changes in channel gating. Subcutaneous injections of the D2 antagonist sulpiride, applied from P11 to P13, restored melanotrope Na(+) channel activity to pre-innervation levels. Thus, the activation of D2 receptors by the dopaminergic input reduces the functional expression of Na(+) channels in melanotropes.
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 0304-3940
- Volume :
- 315
- Issue :
- 3
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Neuroscience letters
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 11716982
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1016/s0304-3940(01)02355-2