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Extracellular purines are important signaling molecules involved in numerous physiological and pathological processes via the activation of P2 receptors. Information about the spatial and temporal P2 receptor (P2R) expression and its regulation remains crucial for the understanding of the role of P2Rs in health and disease. To identify cells carrying P2X2Rs in situ, we have generated BAC transgenic mice that express the P2X2R subunits as fluorescent fusion protein (P2X2-TagRFP). In addition, we generated a BAC P2Y1R TagRFP reporter mouse expressing a TagRFP reporter for the P2RY1 gene expression. We demonstrate expression of the P2X2R in a subset of DRG neurons, the brain stem, the hippocampus, as well as on Purkinje neurons of the cerebellum. However, the weak fluorescence intensity in our P2X2R-TagRFP mouse precluded tracking of living cells. Our P2Y1R reporter mice confirmed the widespread expression of the P2RY1 gene in the CNS and indicate for the first time P2RY1 gene expression in mouse Purkinje cells, which so far has only been described in rats and humans. Our P2R transgenic models have advanced the understanding of purinergic transmission, but BAC transgenic models appeared not always to be straightforward and permanent reliable. We noticed a loss of fluorescence intensity, which depended on the number of progeny generations. These problems are discussed and may help to provide more successful animal models, even if in future more versatile and adaptable nuclease-mediated genome-editing techniques will be the methods of choice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The actin binding protein drebrin plays a key role in dendritic spine formation and synaptic plasticity. Decreased drebrin protein levels have been observed in temporal lobe epilepsy, suggesting the involvement of drebrin in the disease. Here we investigated the effect of drebrin knockout on physiological and pathophysiological neuronal network activities in mice by inducing gamma oscillations, involved in higher cognitive functions, and by analyzing pathophysiological epileptiform activity. We found that loss of drebrin increased the emergence of spontaneous gamma oscillations suggesting an increase in neuronal excitability when drebrin is absent. Further analysis showed that although the kainate-induced hippocampal gamma oscillations were unchanged in drebrin deficient mice, seizure like events measured in the entorhinal cortex appeared earlier and more frequently. The results suggest that while drebrin is not essential for normal physiological network activity, it helps to protect against the formation of seizure like activities during pathological conditions. The data indicate that targeting drebrin function could potentially be a preventive or therapeutic strategy for epilepsy treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ionotropic P2X and metabotropic P2Y receptors interact with a number of macromolecules in the cell membrane which may contribute to their functional plasticity. P2X receptors are homomeric or heteromeric assemblies of three subunits. P2Y receptors may form oligomeric complexes either with the same or with other P2Y receptor types. Although the signalling mechanism of P2X receptor channels is fast (within milliseconds) and relatively simple, by originating from the opening of an ion channel permeable to mono- and divalent cations, various macromolecules may modify the trafficking of these receptors to and from the cell membrane, as well as their activation and desensitization kinetics, and the possible opening of membrane pores induced by long-lasting exposure to agonists. P2X and Cys-loop receptors may physically interact with each other, resulting in mutual current occlusion. Heteromeric P2Y receptors may, via Gs, Gq/11 or Gi/o protein-coupling and activation of the respective transduction mechanisms, mediate responses in the range of a few seconds. However, P2Y receptors may also interact with the signalling cascade of, e.g. receptor tyrosine kinases, and thereby mediate responses on a much slower time scale (within hours to days). In addition, P2Y receptors may interact with small, homomeric G proteins, integrins, and PDZ proteins. Eventually, P2Y receptors may cross-talk via Gα-dependent signalling with other G protein-coupled receptors and via Gβγ (or indirectly Gα)-dependent signalling with various ion channels. Thus, the activation of P2X and P2Y receptors by extracellular adenosine triphosphate/adenosine diphosphate or uridine triphosphate/uridine diphosphate may trigger specific chains of events which interact at the level of the individual elements both with each other and with the transduction mechanisms of other receptors, creating a huge diversity of the possible effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is widely accepted that the most important ATP receptors involved in pain transmission belong to the P2X3 and P2X2/3 subtypes, selectively expressed in small diameter dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons. However, several types of the metabotropic ATP (P2Y) receptors have also been found in primary afferent neurons; P2Y1 and P2Y2 receptors are typically expressed in small, nociceptive cells. Here we review the results available on the involvement of P2Y receptors in the modulation of pain transmission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A correction to this article has been published and is linked from the HTML and PDF versions of this paper. The error has not been fixed in the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]