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Purinergic receptor

family of cell membrane receptors in almost all tissues

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Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionSep 24, 2026
Entity authorityQ1010629
Source-derived summary

Purinergic receptors, also known as purinoceptors, are a family of plasma membrane molecules that are found in almost all mammalian tissues. Within the field of purinergic signalling, these receptors have been implicated in learning and memory, locomotor and feeding behavior, and sleep. More specifically, they are involved in several cellular functions, including proliferation and migration of neural stem cells, vascular reactivity, apoptosis and cytokine secretion. These functions have not been well characterized and the effect of the extracellular microenvironment on their function is also poorly understood.

Geoffrey Burnstock originally separated purinoceptors into P1 adenosine receptors and P2 nucleotide (ATP, ADP) receptors. P2 receptors were later subdivided into P2X, P2Y, P2T, and P2Z receptors. Subclasses X and Y mediated vasoconstriction and vasodilation, respectively, in the smooth muscle of some arteries. They had been observed in blood vessels, smooth muscle, heart, hepatocytes, and parotid acinar cells. Subclass T was only observed in thrombocytes, platelets and megakaryocytes. Subclass Z required ~100 μM-ATP for activation, where the previous classes required <1 μM. They had been observed in mast cells and lymphocytes.

Editorial summary

This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Purinergic receptor” as family of cell membrane receptors in almost all tissues. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.

Editorial reviewA practical starting point whose main value is the path it opens into stronger specialist and primary sources. The current 177-word lead offers orientation but no explicit four-digit date, so chronology should not be assumed. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. The account is most persuasive where Purinergic, receptor and family can be independently traced.
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The subject matters to the general reference register because the source frames it as family of cell membrane receptors in almost all tissues. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.

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Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 24, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1010629. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.

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This entry incorporates text from Purinergic receptor” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.