Regulation of Dopamine Receptor Trafficking and Responsiveness

Abstract

The magnitude of cellular responses resulting from dopamine receptor activation is highly dependent on the balance between exocytic and endocytic traf- ficking pathways, which together, influence the level of receptor expression at the cell surface. Over the past decade, it has been revealed that themechanisms involved in dopamine receptor transport are extremely complex, involving numerous protein– protein interactions that assist in targeting the receptors to distinct intracellular compartments. In addition, the importance of oligomerization in dopamine recep- tor trafficking is becoming increasingly evident, providing new perspectives on the mechanisms of receptor transport. This chapter will review the recent advances that have contributed to the understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in dopamine receptor trafficking, their role in cellular responsiveness and discuss briefly the significance of receptor trafficking in health and disease.