The study of purinergic mechanisms has for long been focused on the actions of the nucleoside adenosine, whereby the contribution of nucleotides to the signaling systems has been underestimated.Based on the proceedings of a IUPHAR Satellite Conference held in Leipzig, Germany, this book offers a comprehensive update and overview of nucleotide release, the structure and function of nucleotide receptors, nucleotide-metabolizing ecto-enzymes as well as the physiological functions of nucleotides in the nervous system. The physiology and molecular biology of receptors for ATP and other nucleotides are examined, as are the physiology and molecular biology of enzymes that hydrolyze extracellular nucleotides.At present, a pharmacology of the nucleotide signaling system is being developed. Of particular interest is the production of receptor subtype-specific antagonists and of drugs that selectively affect the extracellular lifetime of the nucleotide.An excellent source of reference for institutes of pharmacology, biochemistry, neurology, zoology, and physiology, and for the pharmaceutical industry.

Purinergic receptors are proteins that bind ATP as their extracellular ligand. Once thought only as an intracellular molecule that provides energy, ATP is also now considered an essential autocrine/paracrine agonist that acts extracellularly within tissues and tissue microenvironments. Receptors for ATP and its metabolites, so-called "purinergic receptors," are essential membrane receptors that transduce the extracellular signal carried by ATP. Many cell types or tissues express multiple types of these receptors, often on the same cell. This volume will cover the history and overall impact of extracellular ATP signaling, methods to detect ATP release and signaling, the molecular and cell biology of purinergic receptors, the pharmacology of purinergic receptors, the ion channel biophysics and biochemistry of P2X purinergic receptor channels, and the physiology and pathophysiology of purinergic receptors.Key Features* Organized and written by world-renowned experts* Covers state-of-the-art experimental methods* Has broad appeal to basic and clinical scientists, the biotch industry and pharmaceutical research companies

Gliomas, developing in the brain from the transformed glial cells, are a very special kind of tumor, extremely refractory to conventional treatments. Therefore, for the development of new antitumor strategies, a better understanding of molecular mechanisms responsible for their biology, growth and invasion is still needed. This book is a reference on cellular signaling processes regulating gliomas physiology and invasiveness. The work is focused on the mechanism of nucleotide receptor activation by exogenous nucleotides and formation of complex signaling cascades induced by growth factors, cytokines and cannabinoids. The second edition of the book enriched in new chapters provides a framework explaining how signal transduction elements may modulate numerous genetic and epigenetic alterations, describes the role of local microenvironment in cellular growth, progression and invasion and, in the light of extensive new results, presents perspectives concerning potential targets for gliomas therapy.

A state-of-the-art summary from leading laboratories around the world of our current knowledge of the molecular biology, the physiology, and the pharmacology of the P2 receptors. The authoritative contributions cover the major aspects of these receptors, describing the relationships between physiological and pharmacological effects of ATP and other nucleotides and the various cloned P2 receptors, as well as providing an historical perspective and discussing current issues of nomenclature. They also illuminate how P2 receptor structures contribute to their function, including the physical differences underlying the pharmacological and functional variations among P2 receptor subtypes.

A major advance in the biological sciences in the past decade has been the biochemical identification of cell membrane receptors. The existence of re ceptor substances on the surface of cells that recognize and bind to extracellular molecules was proposed at the beginning of the century by the pharmacologist and immunologist Paul Ehrlich and the physiologist J. N. Langley. Since then, receptors have been found to play an important role in numerous physiological and pathological processes. Over the years many attempts have been made to physically isolate and chemically characterize receptors, but because of the receptors' extremely low concentration and membrane localization, these ef forts have met with limited success. Yet, despite the failure to characterize receptor substances, the concept of the presence of such molecules has had considerable heuristic value. Using pharmacological, physiological, and im munologic approaches, researchers have identified several specific receptors, e. g. , a-and ~-adrenergic, nicotinic and muscarinic cholinergic, and histami nergic. With the characterization of various types of receptors on cell mem branes, many drugs were developed that proved to be experimentally and ther apeutically useful. It was only in the early 1970s that methods for the specific measurement, chemical characterization, and physical isolation of cell membrane receptors were developed. These advances were made possible by the availability of ligands with high specific radioactivity that retained their biological activity and of experimental procedures that differentiated between specific and non specific binding of ligands.

Advances in Nervous System Research and Application / 2012 Edition is a ScholarlyBrief™ that delivers timely, authoritative, comprehensive, and specialized information about Nervous System in a concise format. The editors have built Advances in Nervous System Research and Application / 2012 Edition on the vast information databases of ScholarlyNews.™ You can expect the information about Nervous System in this eBook to be deeper than what you can access anywhere else, as well as consistently reliable, authoritative, informed, and relevant. The content of Advances in Nervous System Research and Application / 2012 Edition has been produced by the world’s leading scientists, engineers, analysts, research institutions, and companies. All of the content is from peer-reviewed sources, and all of it is written, assembled, and edited by the editors at ScholarlyEditions™ and available exclusively from us. You now have a source you can cite with authority, confidence, and credibility. More information is available at http://www.ScholarlyEditions.com/.

This is an overview of the fast-moving field of purinergic signalling through adenosine and ATP receptors. - Authors are the leading authorities in their fields - Subject matter is important for understanding tissue protection - Subject matter is of intense interest for new drug development