ABSTRACT
The neurotransmitter dopamine mediates its effects through receptors expressed in discrete regions of the brain and in peripheral tissues such as heart and kidney. Pharmacological manipulation of these receptors has been achieved to treat patients with Parkinson’s disease, schizophrenia, hyperprolactinemia, and other disorders. To date, five dopamine receptor subtypes have been cloned and characterized. The structural and pharmacological similarities between these receptors have presented challenges for independent study of each receptor’s effects. Targeted deletion of individual receptor genes and study of the resulting phenotypes has greatly advanced our understanding of dopamine receptor subtype function. Interactions between receptors have also been studied using mice that lack more than one dopamine receptor subtype. This chapter will discuss recent studies involving the use of dopamine receptor knockout mice.
