Role and place of cyclic nucleotides in the neuroendocrine regulation of cells and tissues

Cyclic adenosine monophosphate and cyclic guanosine monophosphate occupy one of the central places in the neuro-endocrine regulation in the highest organisms. These nucleotides mediate the effect of most hormones and neurotransmitters: peptide, polypeptide and proteinaceous, catecholamine, histamine, many prostaglandins, acetylcholine (in the case of muscarinic cholinergic receptor activation), endorphins and enkephalins. They regulate also synthesis and secretion of many hormones and neurotransmitters. Cyclic nucleotides play a key role in the functioning of organs of sense (vision, smelling and taste). Under the control of cyclic nucleotides there are main metabolic processes: glycogenolysis and lipolysis. These nucleotides have been shown to participate in the genome expression, in growth, differentiation and proliferation of cells. Accelerating or decelerating the ionic transport across the biological membranes cyclic nucleotides influence the cell bioelectric activity as well its contractility. They may also change the properties of contractile and cytoskeleton proteins, thus interfering in the processes of mobility and shape formation of cells.