Purinergic signalling

Purinergic signalling (or signaling: see American and British English differences) is a form of extracellular signalling mediated by purine nucleotides and nucleosides such as adenosine and ATP. It involves the activation of purinergic receptors in the cell and/or in nearby cells, thereby regulating cellular functions. The purinergic signalling complex of a cell is sometimes referred to as the “purinome”. Purinergic receptors, represented by several families, are among the most abundant receptors in living organisms and appeared early in evolution. Among invertebrates, the purinergic signalling system has been found in bacteria, amoeba, ciliates, algae, fungi, anemones, ctenophores, platyhelminthes, nematodes, crustacea, molluscs, annelids, echinoderms, and insects. In green plants, extracellular ATP and other nucleotides induce an increase in the cytosolic concentration of calcium ions, in addition to other downstream changes that influence plant growth and modulate responses to stimuli. In 2014, the first purinergic receptor in plants, DORN1, was discovered. The primitive P2X receptors of unicellular organisms often share low sequence similarity with those in mammals, yet they still retain micromolar sensitivity to ATP. The evolution of this receptor class is estimated to have occurred over a billion years ago. Generally speaking, all cells have the ability to release nucleotides. In neuronal and neuroendocrinal cells, this mostly occurs via regulated exocytosis. Released nucleotides can be hydrolyzed extracellularly by a variety of cell surface-located enzymes referred to as ectonucleotidases. The purinergic signalling system consists of transporters, enzymes and receptors responsible for the synthesis, release, action, and extracellular inactivation of (primarily) ATP and its extracellular breakdown product adenosine. The signalling effects of uridine triphosphate (UTP) and uridine diphosphate (UDP) are generally comparable to those of ATP.