For the best experience on the Abcam website please upgrade to a modern browser such as Google Chrome

Hello. We're improving abcam.com and we'd welcome your feedback.

Hello. We're improving abcam.com and we'd welcome your feedback.

Infomation icon

We haven't added this to the BETA yet

New BETA website

New BETA website

Hello. We're improving abcam.com and we'd welcome your feedback.

Take a look at our BETA site and see what we’ve done so far.

Switch on our new BETA site

Now available

Search and browse selected products

  • A selection of primary antibodies

Purchase these through your usual distributor

In the coming months

  • Additional product types
  • Supporting content
  • Sign in to your account
  • Purchase online
United States
Your country/region is currently set to:

If incorrect, please enter your country/region into the box below, to view site information related to your country/region.

Call (888) 77-ABCAM (22226) or contact us
Need help? Contact us

  • My account
  • Sign out
Sign in or Register with us

Welcome

Sign in or

Don't have an account?

Register with us
My basket
Quick order
Abcam homepage

  • Research Products
    By product type
    Primary antibodies
    Secondary antibodies
    ELISA and Matched Antibody Pair Kits
    Cell and tissue imaging tools
    Cellular and biochemical assays
    Proteins and Peptides
    By product type
    Proteomics tools
    Agonists, activators, antagonists and inhibitors
    Cell lines and Lysates
    Multiplex miRNA assays
    Multiplex Assays
    By research area
    Cancer
    Cardiovascular
    Cell Biology
    Epigenetics
    Metabolism
    Developmental Biology
    By research area
    Immunology
    Microbiology
    Neuroscience
    Signal Transduction
    Stem Cells
  • Customized Products & Partnerships
    Customized Products & Partnerships

    Customized products and commercial partnerships to accelerate your diagnostic and therapeutic programs.

    Customized products

    Partner with us

  • Support
    Support hub

    Access advice and support for any research roadblock

    View support hub

    Protocols

    Your experiments laid out step by step

    View protocols

  • Events
    • Conference calendar
    • Cancer
    • Cardiovascular
    • Epigenetics & Nuclear signaling
    • Immunology
    • Neuroscience
    • Stem cells
    • Tradeshows
    • Scientific webinars
    Keep up to date with the latest events

    Full event breakdown with abstracts, speakers, registration and more

    View global event calendar

  • Pathways
    Cell signalling pathways

    View all pathways

    View all interactive pathways

Explore the power of knock-out cell lines for your research

Dopaminergic neuron markers

Related

  • Back to neural markers guide
    • Directly conjugated neural markers
      • Dopamine receptor agonists, activators, antagonists and inhibitors
        • Caged neurotransmitters for precision release
          • Your guide to optimizing IHC experiments
            • Sign up for latest research resources
              • Primary antibodies
                • Tyrosine hydroxylase primary antibodies
                  • Dopamine trasnporter primary antibodies
                    • FOXA2 primary antibodies
                      • GIRK2 primary antibodies
                        • Nurr1 primary antibodies
                          • LMX1B primary antibodies
                            • Parkinson's disease interactive pathway

                              A summary of the best dopaminergic neuron markers for your research

                              Reviewed December 15, 2020

                              • ​​​Introduction
                              • Tyrosine hydrolase (TH)
                              • Dopamine transporter (DAT)
                              • GIRK2
                              • Transcription factors: NURR1, LMX1B, FOXA2
                              • Vesicular monoamine transporter: VMAT1 and VMAT2
                              • Fluorescent false neurotransmitters (FFNs)


                              Introduction

                              ​Dopaminergic neurons produce dopamine, a monoamine neurotransmitter with roles in neurological functions such as mood and reward. 

                              The progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons is the cause of many of the motor symptoms associated with Parkinson’s disease. A widely used treatment for Parkinson's disease is Levodopa, which is a pure form of the precursor to dopamine, L-DOPA.

                              There are several well-characterized dopamine markers that can aid your research.

                              Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)

                              Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)


                              An enzyme that converts L-tyrosine to L-3,4-dihydroxyphelylalanine (L-DOPA), which is a dopamine precursor.

                              Image: Rat brain sections stained with anti-tyrosine hydroxylase (ab75875).

                              Browse all tyrosine hydroxylase antibodies

                              ​Tyrosine hydroxylase inhibitors

                              ProductActivity
                              3-Iodo-L-tyrosine (MIT) (ab144773)Tyrosine hydroxylase inhibitor. Inhibits dopamine synthesis. Stimulates prolactin secretion.


                              Dopamine transporter (DAT)

                              ​Dopamine transporter (DAT)

                              A transmembrane transporter that controls the re-uptake of extracellular dopamine into presynaptic neurons and pumps dopamine out of the synapse into the cytosol.

                              DAT is vital in maintaining sufficient dopamine levels in the neuron for release.

                              Image: Mouse substantia nigra sections stained with anti-dopamine transporter (ab128848).

                              Browse all dopamine transporter antibodies


                              Dopamine transporter inhibitors


                              ProductActivity
                              Clomipramine hydrochloride (ab143213)
                              Selective α1-adrenoceptor antagonist. DAT blocker.
                              Benztropine mesylate (ab143332)Potent DAT inhibitor. Selective M1 receptor antagonist.
                              Bupropion hydrochloride (ab120534)Non-selective dopamine and norepinephrine transporter (DAT/NET) inhibitor.
                              GBR 12909 dihydrochloride (ab120607)Potent, selective dopamine reuptake inhibitor.


                              GIRK2

                              IHC stain of GIRK2

                              GIRK2

                              A G-protein regulated potassium channel expressed within certain dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra.

                              ​Image: Mouse substantia nigra tissue sections stained with anti-GIRK2 (ab65096).

                              Browse all GIRK2 antibodies


                              GIRK2 inhibitors and activators 


                              ProductActivity
                              ML297 (VU0456810) (ab143564)Potent, selective GIRK activator.
                              Ifenprodil hemitartrate (ab120111)Reversible inhibitor of GIRK activity.
                              Pimozide (ab142135)GIRK inhibitor at nanomolar concentration.

                              Transcription Factors: NURR1, LMX1B, FOXA2

                              NIRR2

                              A transcription factor that induces TH expression and subsequently dopaminergic neuron differentiation.

                              Image: Rat cerebral nerve cells stained with anti-nurr1 (ab41917).

                              Browse all NURR1 antibodies


                              ICC of LMX1B

                              ​LMX1B

                              A transcription factor involved in a number of processes during dopaminergic neuron development.

                              Image: Human brain tissue stained with anti-LMX1B (ab139736).

                              Browse all LMX1B antibodies


                              FOXA2 IHC staining

                              FOXA2

                              A transcriptional activator that regulates specification and differentiation of dopaminergic neurons.

                              Mouse substantia nigra sections stained with anti-FOXA2 (ab108422).

                              Browse all FOXA2 antibodies


                              Vesicular monoamine transporter: VMAT1 and VMAT2

                              During synaptic transmission, the vesicular monoamine transporter (VMAT) accumulates neurotransmitters in synaptic vesicles. There are two isoforms of this vesicular membrane protein; VMAT2 and VMAT 1. 

                              Flow cytometry of VMAT1

                              VMAT1

                              VMAT1 accumulates monoamines in chromaffin cells of the adrenal medulla.

                              VMAT2

                              VMAT2 translocates monoamines such as the neurotransmitter dopamine from the cytosol into synaptic vesicles. 

                              Fluorescent false neurotransmitters (FFNs)

                              Fluorescent false neurotransmitters (FFNs) are probes that act as novel optical tracers allowing imaging of neurotransmitter release from individual presynaptic terminals in the brain. They are designed to loosely mimic the overall topology and physical properties of monoamine neurotransmitters and have been engineered to have fluorescence properties.

                              FFNs have the capability for increasing the understanding of both fundamental and applied neurobiological research including research into neurodegeneration and drug addiction.

                              Advantages of using fluorescent false neurotransmitters:

                              • Optically study various aspects of synaptic transmission
                              • Compatible with GFP tags, including Alexa Fluor 488
                              • Photostable
                              • Suitable for standard fluorescent microscopy and two-photon fluorescence microscopy


                              Applications for FFN102, FFN202, and FFN511:

                              • Measure localization and activity of dopaminergic presynaptic terminals.
                              • Measure pH of secretory vesicles
                              • Visualize dopamine release from individual presynaptic terminals

                              ​​

                              FFN102 (Mini102)


                               


                              • Rodent DAT and VMAT2 substrate. Enables two-photon microscopic imaging of localization and activity of dopaminergic presynaptic terminals in the striatum of mouse acute brain slice.
                              • More selective for dopaminergic synapses than FFN511.
                              • Exhibits greater fluorescence emission in neutral than acidic environments allowing optical measurement of synaptic vesicle content release. 


                              FFN202 (Mini202)



                              • Rodent VMAT1 and VMAT2 substrate.
                              • Enables in situ pH measurement of secretory catecholamine vesicles in PC-12 cells. 


                              FFN511


                               


                              • A fluorescent probe for optical imaging and measurement of synaptic activity in the brain.
                              • Substrate for the synaptic vesicle monoamine transporter (VMAT2).
                              • FFN511 fluoresces sufficiently to provide resolution at the individual synaptic level but at concentrations that do not interfere with normal synaptic function. Inhibits 5HT binding to VMAT2 with an IC50 of 1 μM (comparable to dopamine itself).  


                              ​References

                              • Austin, L. S. et al. Dopamine blocking activity of clomipramine in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Biol. Psychiatry 30, 225–32 (1991).
                              • Hall, F. S. et al. Decreased vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2) and dopamine transporter (DAT) function in knockout mice affects aging of dopaminergic systems. Neuropharmacology 76 Pt A, 146–55 (2014).
                              • Hartfield, E. M. et al. Physiological characterisation of human iPS-derived dopaminergic neurons. PLoS One 9, (2014).
                              • Jankovic, J., Chen, S. & Le, W. D. The role of Nurr1 in the development of dopaminergic neurons and Parkinson’s disease. Prog. Neurobiol. 77, 128–138 (2005).
                              • Kaufmann, K. et al. ML297 (VU0456810), the first potent and selective activator of the GIRK potassium channel, displays antiepileptic properties in mice. ACS Chem. Neurosci. 4, 1278–86 (2013).
                              • Kobayashi, T., Washiyama, K. & Ikeda, K. Inhibition of G protein-activated inwardly rectifying K+ channels by ifenprodil. Neuropsychopharmacology 31, 516–24 (2006).
                              • Kobayashi, T., Ikeda, K. & Kumanishi, T. Inhibition by various antipsychotic drugs of the G-protein-activated inwardly rectifying K(+) (GIRK) channels expressed in xenopus oocytes. Br. J. Pharmacol. 129, 1716–22 (2000).
                              • Luo, F.-C. et al. Protective effect of panaxatriol saponins extracted from Panax notoginseng against MPTP-induced neurotoxicity in vivo. J. Ethnopharmacol. 133, 448–53 (2011).
                              • Nakatani, T., Kumai, M., Mizuhara, E., Minaki, Y. & Ono, Y. Lmx1a and Lmx1b cooperate with Foxa2 to coordinate the specification of dopaminergic neurons and control of floor plate cell differentiation in the developing mesencephalon. Dev. Biol. 339, 101–113 (2010).
                              • Ness, D. K., Foley, G. L., Villar, D. & Hansen, L. G. Effects of 3-iodo-L-tyrosine, a tyrosine hydroxylase inhibitor, on eye pigmentation and biogenic amines in the planarian, Dugesia dorotocephala. Fundam. Appl. Toxicol. 30, 153–61 (1996).
                              • Reyes, S. et al. GIRK2 expression in dopamine neurons of the substantia nigra and ventral tegmental area. J. Comp. Neurol. 520, 2591–607 (2012).
                              • Rothman, R. B., Baumann, M. H., Prisinzano, T. E. & Newman, A. H. Dopamine transport inhibitors based on GBR12909 and benztropine as potential medications to treat cocaine addiction. Biochem. Pharmacol. 75, 2–16 (2008).
                              • Smythe, G. A. & Bradshaw, J. E. Different acute effects of the tyrosine hydroxylase inhibitors alpha-methyl-p-tyrosine and 3-iodo-L-tyrosine on hypothalamic noradrenaline activity and adrenocorticotrophin release in the rat. Aust. J. Biol. Sci. 36, 519–23 (1983).
                              • Stahl, S. M. et al. A Review of the Neuropharmacology of Bupropion, a Dual Norepinephrine and Dopamine Reuptake Inhibitor. Prim. Care Companion J. Clin. Psychiatry 6, 159–166 (2004).
                              • Tanda, G. et al. Relations between stimulation of mesolimbic dopamine and place conditioning in rats produced by cocaine or drugs that are tolerant to dopamine transporter conformational change. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 229, 307–21 (2013).
                              Get resources and offers direct to your inbox Sign up
                              A-Z by research area
                              • Cancer
                              • Cardiovascular
                              • Cell biology
                              • Developmental biology
                              • Epigenetics & Nuclear signaling
                              • Immunology
                              • Metabolism
                              • Microbiology
                              • Neuroscience
                              • Signal transduction
                              • Stem cells
                              A-Z by product type
                              • Primary antibodies
                              • Secondary antibodies
                              • Biochemicals
                              • Isotype controls
                              • Flow cytometry multi-color selector
                              • Kits
                              • Loading controls
                              • Lysates
                              • Peptides
                              • Proteins
                              • Slides
                              • Tags and cell markers
                              • Tools & Reagents
                              Help & support
                              • Support
                              • Make an Inquiry
                              • Protocols & troubleshooting
                              • Placing an order
                              • RabMAb products
                              • Biochemical product FAQs
                              • Training
                              • Browse by Target
                              Company
                              • Corporate site
                              • Investor relations
                              • Company news
                              • Careers
                              • About us
                              • Blog
                              Events
                              • Tradeshows
                              • Conferences
                              International websites
                              • abcam.cn
                              • abcam.co.jp

                              Join with us

                              • LinkedIn
                              • facebook
                              • Twitter
                              • YouTube
                              • Terms of sale
                              • Website terms of use
                              • Cookie policy
                              • Privacy policy
                              • Legal
                              • Modern slavery statement
                              © 1998-2022 Abcam plc. All rights reserved.