biomolecules Review Neuronal Dopamine D3 Receptors: Translational Implications for Preclinical Research and CNS Disorders Béla Kiss 1, István Laszlovszky 2, Balázs Krámos 3, András Visegrády 1, Amrita Bobok 1, György Lévay 1, Balázs Lendvai 1 and Viktor Román 1,* 1 Pharmacological and Drug Safety Research, Gedeon Richter Plc., 1103 Budapest, Hungary;
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[email protected] (B.L.) 2 Medical Division, Gedeon Richter Plc., 1103 Budapest, Hungary;
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[email protected]; Tel.: +36-1-432-6131; Fax: +36-1-889-8400 Abstract: Dopamine (DA), as one of the major neurotransmitters in the central nervous system (CNS) and periphery, exerts its actions through five types of receptors which belong to two major subfamilies such as D1-like (i.e., D1 and D5 receptors) and D2-like (i.e., D2, D3 and D4) receptors. Dopamine D3 receptor (D3R) was cloned 30 years ago, and its distribution in the CNS and in the periphery, molecular structure, cellular signaling mechanisms have been largely explored. Involvement of D3Rs has been recognized in several CNS functions such as movement control, cognition, learning, reward, emotional regulation and social behavior. D3Rs have become a promising target of drug research and great efforts have been made to obtain high affinity ligands (selective agonists, partial agonists and antagonists) in order to elucidate D3R functions. There has been a strong drive behind the efforts to find drug-like compounds with high affinity and selectivity and various functionality for D3Rs in the hope that they would have potential treatment options in CNS diseases such as schizophrenia, drug abuse, Parkinson’s disease, depression, and restless leg syndrome.