AMINE UPTAKE AND STORAGE MECHANISMS IN THE CORPUS STRIATUM OF RAT AND RABBIT

¹ Department of Pharmacology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, Dallas, Texas

Minces of rat or rabbit corpus striatum or hypothalamus rapidly take up the methylated dopamine analog, dl--methyl-m-tyramine, as well as the norepinephrine analog, l-metaraminol. Striatal minces also accumulate both of the corresponding non--methyl compounds, m-tyramine and l-m-octopamine, whereas hypothalamic minces accumulate only l-m-octopamine. Reserpine pretreament does not affect striatal uptake of dl--methyl-m-tyramine, but greatly inhibits accumulation of m-TA. Desipramine does not affect striatal uptake, but greatly inhibits uptake by the hypothalamus. Ouabain or low [Na⁺] inhibit striatal dl--methyl-m-tyramine uptake. It is concluded that striatal dopamine neurons resemble the adrenergic neuron of hypothalamus or heart in possessing a relatively nonspecific, ouabain-sensitive and Na⁺-dependent membrane amine pump as well as an intraneuronal amine storage mechanism. The dopaminergic neuron differs, however, in that desipramine does not act as an inhibitor of membrane amine transport, and the intraneuronal amine binding system is less stringent in its structural requirements for amine binding.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				M. S. Sonders, S.-J. Zhu, N. R. Zahniser, M. P. Kavanaugh, and S. G. Amara Multiple Ionic Conductances of the Human Dopamine Transporter: The Actions of Dopamine and Psychostimulants J. Neurosci., February 1, 1997; 17(3): 960 - 974. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]