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Introduction

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Dopamine in the Gut
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Abstract

The digestive system is essential to life. It breaks food into small molecules and absorbs nutrients into the blood stream so then they can be used for energy, growth, and repair. Functions of the digestive system are controlled by the autonomic nervous system, gastrointestinal hormones, local paracrine messengers, immune factors, and microbiota in the gut. Dopamine is a type of catecholamine that is found not only in the brain but also in the gut, including the enteric nervous system, epithelial cells, endocrine cells, and immune cells. A great mount of dopamine is also detected in the feces. Dopamine receptors and the enzymes involved in dopamine synthesis and metabolism are widely distributed in the gut. Therefore, dopamine in the gut has attracted increasing attention in recent years. Degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra of the midbrain has been found in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD). Paradoxically, enzymes for dopamine synthesis and dopamine transporter levels are higher in the gut of PD animal models. Patients with PD often have impairment in gastrointestinal function such as gastroparesis or constipation, which usually appears many years before motor symptoms are diagnosed. Dopamine has been found to influence gastrointestinal motility, secretion, and mucosal barrier function. Recently, dopamine has also been reported to have anti-inflammation and anti-tumor functions. This chapter provides a brief overview of the dopaminergic system and the latest advances in dopamine receptor signaling. The role of dopamine in the regulation of gut functions will be discussed in detail in the following chapters.

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Abbreviations

3-MT:

3-Methoxytyramine

Akt:

Protein kinase B

ALDH:

Aldehyde dehydrogenase

ALR/AR:

Aldehyde/aldose reductase

AMPA:

α-Amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid

CaMKII:

Calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II

cAMP:

Cyclic adenosine monophosphate

CDK5:

Cyclin-dependent kinase 5

CNS:

Central nervous system

COMT:

Catechol-o-methyltransferase

CREB:

cAMP response element-binding protein

D1R:

Dopamine D1 receptor

D2L:

Dopamine D2 receptor-long

D2R:

Dopamine D2 receptor

D2S:

Dopamine D2 receptor-short

D3R:

Dopamine D3 receptor

D4R:

Dopamine D4 receptor

D5R:

Dopamine D5 receptor

DA:

Dopamine

DAG:

Diacylglycerol

DARPP-32:

Dopamine and cAMP-regulated neuronal phosphoprotein

DAT:

Dopamine transporter

DOPAC:

3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetic acid

DOPAL:

3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetaldehyde

DOPET:

3,4-Dihydroxyphenylethanol

ENS:

Enteric nervous system

GABAA:

Gamma-aminobutyric acid A receptor

GIRKs:

Inwardly rectifying potassium channels

GPCR:

G protein-coupled receptor

GSK-3:

Glycogen synthase kinase 3

HVA:

Homovanillic acid

IP3:

Inositol trisphosphate

l-DOPA:

3,4-Dihydroxyphenylalanine

MAO:

Monoamine oxidase

MAPK:

Mitogen-activated protein kinase

MB-COMT:

Membrane-bound COMT

NMDA:

N-Methyl-d-aspartic acid

PD:

Parkinson’s disease

PIP2:

Phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate

PKA:

Protein kinase A

PKC:

Protein kinase C

PLA2:

Phospholipase A2

PLC:

Phospholipase C

PLD:

Phospholipase D

PP1:

Protein phosphatase 1

PP2A:

Protein phosphatase 2A

PP2B:

Protein phosphatase calcineurin/protein phosphatase 2B

PPP1R1B:

Protein phosphatase 1 regulatory subunit 1B

S-COMT:

Soluble COMT

VMAT:

Vesicular monoamine transporter

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Correspondence to Jin-Xia Zhu .

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© 2021 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

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Liu, S., Zhu, JX. (2021). Introduction. In: Zhu, JX. (eds) Dopamine in the Gut. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-33-6586-5_1

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