Coaggregation, cointernalization, and codesensitization of adenosine A2A receptors and dopamine D2 receptors.

Abstract Antagonistic and reciprocal interactions are known to exist between adenosine and dopamine receptors in the striatum. In the present study, double immunofluorescence experiments with confocal laser microscopy showed a high degree of colocalization of adenosine A2A receptors (A2AR) and dopamine D2 receptors (D2R) in cell membranes of SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells stably transfected with human D2R and in cultured striatal cells. A2AR/D2R heteromeric complexes were demonstrated in coimmunoprecipitation experiments in membrane preparations from D2R-transfected SH-SY5Y cells and from mouse fibroblast Ltk− cells stably transfected with human D2R (long form) and transiently cotransfected with the A2AR double-tagged with hemagglutinin. Long term exposure to A2AR and D2R agonists in D2R-cotransfected SH-SY5Y cells resulted in coaggregation, cointernalization and codesensitization of A2AR and D2R. These results give a molecular basis for adenosine-dopamine antagonism at the membrane level and have implications for treatment of Parkinson's disease and schizophrenia, in which D2R are involved.