Classification, Distribution, and Primary Roles of Purinergic Receptors in the Central Nervous System
Purinergic receptors are expressed on the cell surface and bind to and react with purines (Burnstock, 2018). Purinergic receptors
fall into two major families: P1 and P2 receptors. These receptors can
be activated by purines, which can also act as neurotransmitters when
they bind to purinergic receptors to transmit information (Burnstock, 2008; Burnstock et al., 2012).
At present, there are several subtypes of P1
receptors: A1, A2a, A2b, and A3. These four subtypes are all G protein
coupled receptors. Adenosine and AMP can activate P1 receptors (Sawynok,
2007; Ciruela, 2011). P2 receptors are divided into P2X and P2Y
receptors. Seven subtypes of P2X receptors (P2X1–7) and nine subtypes of
P2Y receptors (P2Y1, 2, 4, 6, 11, 12, 13, 14, and P2Y15) have been
identified thus far (Abbracchio and Burnstock, 1994). ATP and ADP can
both act on P2 receptors (Müller et al., 2020).
Many studies have focused on the regulatory roles
of purinergic signalling in the CNS (Burnstock, 2017; Rodrigues et al.,
2019). Purinergic receptor subtypes are widely distributed in the CNS
and act by regulating the release of ATP and adenosine during synaptic
transmission (Abbracchio et al., 2009). In the CNS, multiple purinergic receptors are expressed in glial cells,
including astrocytes, microglia and oligodendrocytes. The A1 and A3
receptors inhibit promote the production of cAMP through G protein
coupling while A2a and A2b receptors inhibit this process (Sciaraffia et
al., 2014; Wang and Zhou, 2019).
A1 receptors can inhibit the release of glutamate,
an excitatory neurotransmitter. Following CNS injury, excitatory amino
acids activate N-methyl-D-aspartic acid receptors in the postsynaptic
membrane, thus resulting in the release of a large amount of adenosine
(Lu et al., 2003). This adenosine binds to A1 receptors in the
presynaptic membrane to inhibit associated calcium channels, thus
reducing the generation and release of glutamate and reducing the
excitability of nerve cells to exert a protective effect (Lu and
Rosenberg, 2007). In the macaque middle cerebral artery embolization
model, AST-004 treatment was shown to significantly slow the growth of
ischemic lesions and reduce infarct volumes; AST-004 is a novel agonist
for adenosine A1 and A3 receptors. These findings suggested that the
activation of adenosine A1 and A3 receptors can exert neuroprotective
effects (Liston et al., 2022). A1 receptors can also reduce the
accumulation of Ca2+ and mitochondrial Ca2+
overload after CNS injury to alleviate neural injury (Kashfi et al.,
2017). As an important component of the P1 signalling pathway, A2
receptors are involved in regulating the pathological and physiological
processes involved in CNS diseases and injuries, but with effects
opposite to those of A1 receptors. The activation of A2 receptors
aggravates Ca2+ accumulation after neural injury (Dai and Zhou, 2011).
Adenosine exerts multiple functions in the CNS, including regulating the functions of neurons and glial cells
and glial signalling, and affecting neurodevelopment (McGaraughty et
al., 2001). Abnormalities of adenosine and P1 receptors are involved in
the changes associated with various neurodegenerative diseases such as
Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease
(Burnstock, 2008).
The P2X receptor is an ion channel receptor that binds ATP and then affects Na+, K+, and Ca2+
channels in the absence of a cell membrane and intracellular signal
transduction (Burnstock, 2016). P2X1–7 receptors are widely expressed in
astrocytes and neurons. Some of these are also expressed in
oligodendrocytes, Schwann cells, and microglia. P2X receptors
participate in different physiological processes in the CNS, including
synaptic transmission and signal transduction between gliocytes and
neurons (Lambrecht, 2000; Fu et al., 2009). Multiple subtypes of P2X
receptors are expressed in CNS neurons. Of these, the P2X3 receptor is
expressed in sensory neurons in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord and
dorsal root ganglia (de Melo Aquino et al., 2019; Marucci et al., 2019).
P2X2 and P2X4 receptors are widely expressed in the spinal cord,
hippocampus, cerebral cortex and cerebellum (Khaira et al., 2009; Sivcev
et al., 2020). P2X7 receptors are also expressed in axonal growth cones
and presynaptic terminals. These receptors affect neuronal activity and
mediate microglial and neuron-glial interactions in the
pathophysiological processes involved in CNS diseases (Volonté et al.,
2012; Kan et al., 2019; Miras-Portugal et al., 2021).
P2Y receptors are widely distributed in the
nervous system. After being activated by extracellular purines and
pyrimidine nucleotides, the P2Y receptors activate intracellular
signalling pathways by coupling with G proteins (Rafehi and Müller,
2018; von Kügelgen, 2021). P2Y1, P2Y2 and P2Y12 receptors are expressed
in the spinal cord, hippocampus and cerebral cortex (Puchałowicz et al.,
2014; Grohmann et al., 2021). P2Y1, 2, 4, and P2Y6 receptors are
expressed in the spinal cord, trigeminal ganglia and dorsal root ganglia
(D’Ambrosi et al., 2006; Wen et al., 2020). P2Y2 and P2Y14 receptors
are also expressed in astrocytes in the CNS (Martiáñez et al., 2012).
P2Y receptors are involved in a wide range of regulatory functions,
including neural signalling, glial proliferation and migration, cell
differentiation, ion transport, nerve cell regeneration and nerve cell
apoptosis. Extracellular ATP, released at high concentrations from
intracellular stores after injury, acts on the P2Y receptors expressed
in astrocytes to activate the P2Y signalling pathways which then
stimulate the proliferation of astrocytes and aggravate tissue damage.
Moreover, ATP can also mediate programmed death
of nerve cells through P2Y receptors. A previous study of brain injury
observed an upregulation in the expression of P2Y receptors and that
these high expression levels were related to the activation of glial cells
in different ways. Cultured rat cortical astrocytes exhibited
significant increases in the synthesis of glial fibrillary acidic
protein after the administration of exogenous ATP; this might be related
to the effect of ATP on P2Y receptors (Ceruti et al., 2009).
P2Y4 and P2Y12 receptors can inhibit K+ and Ca2+
channels to inhibit action potentials and affect neurotransmitter
release. In the spinal cord, ATP can induce superoxide production
through P2Y1 receptors (Xia and Zhu, 2014). Under pathological
conditions, such as CNS injury, the expression of P2Y6 receptors on the
microglia is upregulated, thus promoting the extension of microglial
protrusions, enhancing phagocytosis, and inducing the production of
chemokines that participate in the process of neural injury and repair
(Quintas et al., 2014). The P2Y13 receptors expressed in the dorsal horn
of the spinal cord and hippocampus are known to be involved in
neurodevelopment and axonal growth (Guarracino et al., 2016), while P2Y1
and P2Y7 receptors act synergistically to promote the growth and
extension of axons. In CNS injury, on one hand, the expression of the
P2Y2 receptor increases; on the other hand, such injury leads to the
massive release of extracellular ATP, which acts on P2Y2 receptors and
increases intracellular Ca2+
concentration, thereby promoting the release of neurotransmitters and
altering synaptic transmission efficiency. In addition, P2Y2 receptors
may play a key role in both nerve and glial cells (Arthur et al., 2006).
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