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Muscarinic excitation–secretion coupling in chromaffin cells
Author(s) -
Olivos L.,
Artalejo A. R.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
acta physiologica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.591
H-Index - 116
eISSN - 1748-1716
pISSN - 1748-1708
DOI - 10.1111/j.1748-1716.2007.01816.x
Subject(s) - muscarinic acetylcholine receptor , acetylcholine , nicotinic agonist , muscarinic acetylcholine receptor m4 , cholinergic , chromaffin cell , muscarinic acetylcholine receptor m1 , stimulation , acetylcholine receptor , adrenal medulla , intracellular , endocrinology , muscarinic acetylcholine receptor m3 , muscarinic acetylcholine receptor m5 , muscarinic acetylcholine receptor m2 , medicine , biology , receptor , chemistry , microbiology and biotechnology , catecholamine
Excitation–secretion coupling in adrenomedullary chromaffin cells physiologically commences when acetylcholine molecules released from splanchnic nerve terminals bind to cholinergic receptors located at the cell’s plasma membrane. While nicotinic acetylcholine receptors ensure a rapid and efficacious transmission of preganglionic impulses, muscarinic acetylcholine receptors are considered to play a subsidiary role mostly by facilitating the nicotinic responses. Nevertheless, the variety of effects brought about by muscarinic stimulation in chromaffin cells (release of intracellular Ca 2+ , activation of Ca 2+ entry through non‐selective cation channels and voltage‐dependent Ca 2+ channels, impairment and/or enhancement of action potential firing, etc.) and the long‐lasting nature of many of them suggests that muscarinic receptors might contribute to the fine tuning of the catecholamine secretory response upon graded preganglionic stimulation and prolonged periods of time. Such a variety of effects probably reflects not only the diversity of muscarinic receptors expressed in chromaffin cells but also the existence of differences among the animal species employed in the reported investigations. Accordingly, we first review on an animal species‐based approach the most relevant features of the muscarinic response in chromaffin cells from a set of mammals, and finally present a unified picture of the mechanisms of muscarinic excitation–secretion coupling in chromaffin cells.