Identification of the synthetic pathway producing the endocannabinoid that mediates the bulk of retrograde signaling in the brain

Aaron R Best; Wade G Regehr

doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2010.01.030

Identification of the synthetic pathway producing the endocannabinoid that mediates the bulk of retrograde signaling in the brain

Neuron. 2010 Feb 11;65(3):291-2. doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2010.01.030.

Authors

Aaron R Best¹, Wade G Regehr

Affiliation

¹ Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, 220 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA.

PMID: 20159441
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2010.01.030

Abstract

Endocannabinoids serve as retrograde messengers that are released by postsynaptic cells to regulate neurotransmitter release from presynaptic boutons. A new study in this issue of Neuron by Tanimura et al. establishes that most endocannabinoid signaling in the brain is a consequence of the calcium-dependent or receptor-driven generation of the retrograde signal 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) by diacylglycerol lipase alpha (DGLalpha).

Publication types

Comment

MeSH terms

Animals
Arachidonic Acids / metabolism
Brain / physiology*
Calcium / metabolism
Cannabinoid Receptor Modulators / genetics
Cannabinoid Receptor Modulators / metabolism*
Endocannabinoids*
Glycerides / metabolism
Lipoprotein Lipase / metabolism*
Mice
Signal Transduction / genetics
Signal Transduction / physiology*
Synaptic Transmission / physiology*

Substances

Arachidonic Acids
Cannabinoid Receptor Modulators
Endocannabinoids
Glycerides
glyceryl 2-arachidonate
Lipoprotein Lipase
Calcium