Signal transduction of D3 receptors

As compared to the D2 receptors, the signal transduction of D3 receptors was more difficult to study when these receptors were expressed by transfection in heterologous cellular systems. In general, it appears that D3 receptor stimulation results in the activation of most of the same effectors as in the case of D2 receptors. Nevertheless, the effects produced by D3 receptors are usually less pronounced than those produced by D2 

These results could suggest a preferential association between D3 receptors and ACV and, interestingly, in limbic brain areas, ACV is highly expressed in the neurons that bear the D3 receptors (Diaz et al., 1995 Matsuoka et ah, 1997). 

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