Definition
Dopamine (DA) was firstly described in the central nervous system (CNS) by Prof. Carlsson, and with his experiments he demonstrated that DA was a neurotransmitter in the brain and not just a precursor of NA. From a biochemical point of view, DA is a catecholamine (CA), and this name is referred to chemical compounds with a 3,4-dihydroxyphenyl group (catechol) and an amine function. Catecholamines include DA, noradrenaline (NA), and adrenaline (A), and all are produced from the nonessential amino acid tyrosine, which thanks to the rate-limiting enzyme tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) is converted into CA. The first product is L-DOPA and subsequently through the DOPA decarboxylase, DA. The complete catecholaminergic enzymatic pathway is completed by the formation of 17 products and metabolites (Marino et al. 1999).
Features
DA is a neurotransmitter of both the CNS (in this area it is involved in the control of...
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References and Further Reading
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Beaulieu, J. M., & Gainetdinov, R. R. (2011). The physiology, signaling, and pharmacology of dopamine receptors. Pharmacological Reviews, 63, 182–217.
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Marino, F., Cosentino, M., Bombelli, R., Ferrari, M., Lecchini, S., & Frigo, G. M. (1999). Endogenous catecholamine synthesis, metabolism, storage and uptake in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Experimental Hematology, 27, 489–495.
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Roy, S., Lu, K., Kant Nayak, M., Bhuniya, A., Ghosh, T., Kundu, S., Ghosh, S., Baral, R., Dasgupta, P. S., & Basu, S. (2017). Activation of D2 dopamine receptors in CD133+ve cancer stem cells in non-small cell lung carcinoma inhibits proliferation, clonogenic ability, and invasiveness of these cells. The Journal of Biological Chemistry, 292, 435–445.
Sarkar, C., Chakroborty, D., & Basu, S. (2013). Neurotransmitters as regulators of tumor angiogenesis and immunity: The role of catecholamines. Journal of Neuroimmune Pharmacology, 8, 7–14.
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Cosentino, M., Marino, F. (2021). Dopamine. In: van Krieken, J. (eds) Encyclopedia of Pathology. Encyclopedia of Pathology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28845-1_5126-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28845-1_5126-1
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