Denervation of pigment cells lead to a receptor that is ultrasensitive to melatonin and noradrenaline

Pigment granule aggregation and dispersal can be studied in the melanophores of isolated scales from the cuckoo wrasse (Labrus ossifagus L.). Stimulation of a melanophore alpha2-adrenoceptor or the sympathetic nerve innervating the cell causes pigment aggregation. When the stimulation ceases, the pigment granules disperse throughout the cell. Studying this migration has been a useful tool in pharmacological research, particularly in investigations of the alpha2-adrenoceptor. Denervation of melanophores creates a receptor that is ultrasensitive to noradrenaline and melatonin. After three to four weeks of isolation, the denervated melanophores exhibit a 10(9)-fold increase in sensitivity. The efficacy of melatonin is increased from a negligible pigment-aggregation ability to the level of a full agonist. The melatonin-induced aggregation can, however, be counteracted by the alpha2-adrenoceptor antagonist yohimbine, but not by alpha1-adrenoceptor antagonist prazosin, indicating that the ultrasensitive receptor possesses alpha2-adrenoceptor features. Consequently, we conclude that the ultrasensitive receptor may represent an alpha2-adrenoceptor that has, due to denervation of the melanophore, become sensitive to melatonin.