Identification of dopamine D2 receptors in gill of Crassostrea virginica.

The lateral epithelial cells of gill of Crassostrea virginica are innervated by dopamine and serotonin nerves that regulate the beating rate of their lateral cilia. Terminal release of dopamine slows down the beating rate of the cilia, while serotonin release increases the beating rate. Previously, we showed that the dopaminergic, but not the serotonergic, mechanism regulating the beating rate of the lateral cilia was disrupted by manganese treatments and that this disruption was occurring postsynaptically, at the level of the dopamine receptor or further downstream in the signal transduction pathway.