β2-Adrenergic Receptors on Peripheral Nerves |
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Authors: | Jolanda Schreurs Tina Seelig Howard Schulman |
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Institution: | Department of Pharmacology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, U.S.A.;Department of Anesthesia, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, U.S.A. |
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Abstract: | We report that peripheral nerves have a functional adenylate cyclase-coupled beta-adrenergic receptor. The pharmacological specificity of this receptor is shown to be of the beta 2 subtype. Two peripheral nerves, the sciatic from the frog and rat and the vagus from the rat, responded to beta 2-agonists with 10-50-fold increases in intracellular cyclic AMP level. This increase was inhibited by the beta-adrenergic antagonist propranolol. In contrast, a central nerve tract, the corpus callosum, responded to isoproterenol with only a minimal one- to twofold increase in cyclic AMP level. These studies demonstrate that peripheral nerves have beta 2-adrenergic receptors that are responsive to exogenously applied catecholamines and suggest a role for these ligands in the previously described modulation of axonal conduction. |
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Keywords: | β2-Adrenergic receptor Peripheral nerves Modulation of axonal conduction |
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