Editorial: Purinergic Signaling 2020: the State-of-The-Art commented by the members of the Italian Purine Club

Abstract

The “purinergic signaling” term was coined in 1972 by Geoffrey Burnstock Burnstock et al. after demonstrating that adenosine 5’-triphosphate (ATP) is a transmitter in nonadrenergic, noncholinergic inhibitory nerves innervating the guinea-pig taenia coli (Burnstock et al., 1966). This signaling system, which is ubiquitously expressed in every organ and system of the body, comprises various ecto-, soluble and intracellularly localized enzymes, nucleoside transporters, and G protein-coupled and ligand-gated cation channel receptors. Through the purinergic signaling system cells can maintain basal adenine and guanine-based purines at certain steady-state levels, thereby contributing to preserve the purines-dependent cellular homeostasis.