Similarities Between A.P.U.D. Cells and Monoaminergic Neurons: Evidence for a Dopamine Uptake Mechanism in C Cells of Chicken Ultimobranchial Gland

Abstract

The uptake of [3H]dopamine was studied in the C cells of chicken ultimobranchial gland (UBG). DA uptake appears to be an active and saturable mechanism (Km= 8.6 μM). The C cells' affinity for DA is intermediate between dopaminergic synaptosomes and such extraneural tissues as platelets and heart. UBG incubation with DA leads to the synthesis of a noticeable quantity of DOPAC, indirectly showing the presence of MAO activity. Thus UBG C cells, besides having both an embryological derivation from the neural crest and some morphological aspects similar to synaptosomes, also possess an active uptake mechanism for a central neurotransmitter.