Octopamine receptors on Aplysia neurones mediate hyperpolarisation by increasing membrane conductance

OCTOPAMINE is a phenylethylamine synthesised by β-hydroxylation of tyramine and differs from noradrenaline in lacking one hydroxyl group on the phenyl ring. Although Aplysia nervous tissue, like that of most molluscs, contains little or no noradrenaline 1,2 , it has between 0.20 and 1.85 pmol octopa...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nature (London) 1974-12, Vol.252 (5483), p.483-485
Main Authors: CARPENTER, DAVID O., GAUBATZ, GARY L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Cell Membrane - drug effects
Cell Membrane - physiology
Electric Stimulation
Ethanolamines - pharmacology
Ganglia - drug effects
Ganglia - physiology
Humanities and Social Sciences
In Vitro Techniques
Iontophoresis
letter
Membrane Potentials - drug effects
Mollusca - physiology
multidisciplinary
Neurons - drug effects
Neurons - physiology
Norepinephrine - pharmacology
Octopamine - pharmacology
Receptors, Drug
Science
Science (multidisciplinary)
Synaptic Transmission - drug effects
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Summary:OCTOPAMINE is a phenylethylamine synthesised by β-hydroxylation of tyramine and differs from noradrenaline in lacking one hydroxyl group on the phenyl ring. Although Aplysia nervous tissue, like that of most molluscs, contains little or no noradrenaline 1,2 , it has between 0.20 and 1.85 pmol octopamine per mg of tissue in the various ganglia. Individual identified neurones also contain detectable octopamine and in neurone R14 it reaches 1.5×10 −4 M (ref. 2). Although octopamine-activated adenyl cyclases have been found in Aplysia nervous tissue 3 and insects 4,5 , there has been no electrophysiological demonstration of specific octopamine receptors. We now report receptors in the nervous system of Aplysia that are most sensitive to octopamine and mediate a hyperpolarising conductance-increase response. This provides further evidence that octopamine can function as a neurotransmitter.
ISSN:0028-0836
1476-4687
DOI:10.1038/252483a0