Neurochemical Markers in the Mammalian Brain: Structure, Roles in Synaptic Communication, and Pharmacological...

Knowledge of molecular marker (typically protein or mRNA) expression in neural systems can provide insight to the chemical blueprint of signal processing and transmission, assist in tracking developmental or pathological progressions, and yield key information regarding potential medicinal targets. These markers are particularly relevant in the mammalian brain in the light of its unsurpassed cellular diversity. Accordingly, molecular expression profiling is rapidly becoming a major approach to classify neuron types. Despite a profusion of research, however, the biological functions of molecular markers commonly used to distinguish neuron types remain incompletely understood. Furthermore, most molecular markers of mammalian neuron types are also present in other organs, therefore complicating considerations of their potential pharmacological interactions.

Here, we survey 15 prominent neurochemical markers from five categories, namely membrane transporters, calcium-binding proteins, neuropeptides, receptors, and extracellular matrix proteins, explaining their relation and relevance to synaptic communication.

For each marker, we summarize fundamental structural features, cellular functionality, distributions within and outside the brain, as well as known drug effectors and mechanisms of action.

This essential primer thus links together the cellular complexity of the brain, the chemical properties of key molecular players in neurotransmission, and possible biomedical opportunities.