Rees Christopher L, White Charise M, Ascoli Giorgio A
Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA. United States.
George Mason University, MS2A1, Fairfax, VA 22030. United States.
Curr Med Chem. 2017;24(28):3077-3103. doi: 10.2174/0929867324666170414163506.
Knowledge of molecular marker (typically protein or mRNA) expression in neural systems can provide insight to the chemical blueprint of signal processing and transmission, assist in tracking developmental or pathological progressions, and yield key information regarding potential medicinal targets. These markers are particularly relevant in the mammalian brain in the light of its unsurpassed cellular diversity. Accordingly, molecular expression profiling is rapidly becoming a major approach to classify neuron types. Despite a profusion of research, however, the biological functions of molecular markers commonly used to distinguish neuron types remain incompletely understood. Furthermore, most molecular markers of mammalian neuron types are also present in other organs, therefore complicating considerations of their potential pharmacological interactions.
Here, we survey 15 prominent neurochemical markers from five categories, namely membrane transporters, calcium-binding proteins, neuropeptides, receptors, and extracellular matrix proteins, explaining their relation and relevance to synaptic communication.
For each marker, we summarize fundamental structural features, cellular functionality, distributions within and outside the brain, as well as known drug effectors and mechanisms of action.
This essential primer thus links together the cellular complexity of the brain, the chemical properties of key molecular players in neurotransmission, and possible biomedical opportunities.
了解神经系统中分子标记物（通常是蛋白质或mRNA）的表达情况，有助于深入了解信号处理与传递的化学蓝图，辅助追踪发育或病理进程，并提供有关潜在药物靶点的关键信息。鉴于哺乳动物大脑具有无与伦比的细胞多样性，这些标记物在其中尤为重要。因此，分子表达谱分析正迅速成为一种对神经元类型进行分类的主要方法。然而，尽管已有大量研究，但常用于区分神经元类型的分子标记物的生物学功能仍未完全明确。此外，大多数哺乳动物神经元类型的分子标记物在其他器官中也存在，这使得对其潜在药理相互作用的考量变得复杂。
在此，我们对来自膜转运体、钙结合蛋白、神经肽、受体和细胞外基质蛋白这五类的15种重要神经化学标记物进行综述，阐释它们与突触通讯的关系及相关性。
对于每种标记物，我们总结其基本结构特征、细胞功能、在脑内外的分布，以及已知的药物效应物和作用机制。
这本重要的入门读物将大脑的细胞复杂性、神经传递中关键分子参与者的化学特性以及可能的生物医学机遇联系在一起。
