Octopamine-sensitive adenylate cyclse: evidence for a biological role of octopamine in nervous tissue.

An adenylate cyclase that is activated specifically by very low concentrations of octopamine has been identified both in homogenates and in intact cells of the thoracic ganglia of an insect nervous system. This enzyme appears to be distinct from two other adenylate cyclases present in the same tissue, which are activated by dopamine and by 5-hydroxytryptamine, respectively. The data raise the possibility of a role of octopamine-sensitive adenylate cyclase in the physiology of synaptic transmission.