PURINERGIC COTRANSMISSION - SYMPATHETIC-NERVES

During the past decade it has become clear that cotransmission is the rule rather than the exception in the autonomic nervous system. The ro le of ATP as a cotransmitter has been most extensively investigated in sympathetic nerves innervating smooth muscle preparations such as iso lated vas deferens and arteries.This article describes how the role of ATP as a sympathetic cotransmitter has been established by a combinat ion of various experimental methods including classical organ bath pha rmacology, electrophysiology and a variety of biochemical methods for measuring neurotransmitter release. (C) 1996 Academic Press Ltd