Opioid analgesic drugs modulate primary nociceptive neurons by activating mu (MOR) and delta (DOR) - type G protein-coupled opioid receptors. The beta-2 adrenergic receptor (B2AR) is a distinct G protein- coupled receptor expressed in nociceptive neurons that can produce enhanced, rather than reduced, nociceptive responses. Studies of heterologous cell models indicate that both opioid and adrenergic receptors are regulated by a shared mechanism, involving receptor phosphorylation by G protein-coupled receptor kinases (GRKs) followed by rapid endocytosis. Little is known about the occurrence or function of this conserved regulatory mechanism in nociceptive neurons. A combination of immunohistochemical and live cell imaging approaches will be used to investigate the steady state distribution and regulated endocytic trafficking of MOR, DOR and B2AR in nociceptive neurons, both in the intact tissue and in dissociated neuronal culture. The effects of selected opioid and adrenergic agonists on regulated endocytosis of receptors will be determined using quantitative trafficking assays. The possible functional importance of a specific mechanism of receptor sorting after endocytosis, which determines the signaling consequences of regulated endocytosis in heterologous cell models, will be probed in nociceptive neurons using previously established mutations. A novel protein engineering method will be applied to temporally control GRK activity in nociceptive neurons, and to develop a new approach potentially suitable for probing functional effects on nociceptive signaling in vivo. These studies will provide fundamental insight to cell biological mechanisms relevant to opioid analgesia and tolerance. They may also provide insight to mechanisms that modulate hyperalgesia produced by adrenergic activation in nociceptive neurons.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
Type
Research Program Projects (P01)
Project #
5P01NS053709-04
Application #
8111289
Study Section
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Initial Review Group (NSD)
Project Start
Project End
Budget Start
2010-07-01
Budget End
2011-06-30
Support Year
4
Fiscal Year
2010
Total Cost
$230,090
Indirect Cost
Name
University of California San Francisco
Department
Type
DUNS #
094878337
City
San Francisco
State
CA
Country
United States
Zip Code
94143
Schuster, D J; Metcalf, M D; Kitto, K F et al. (2015) Ligand requirements for involvement of PKC? in synergistic analgesic interactions between spinal ? and ? opioid receptors. Br J Pharmacol 172:642-53
Alvarez, Pedro; Green, Paul G; Levine, Jon D (2013) Stress in the adult rat exacerbates muscle pain induced by early-life stress. Biol Psychiatry 74:688-95
Joseph, E K; Levine, J D (2013) Role of endothelial cells in antihyperalgesia induced by a triptan and ?-blocker. Neuroscience 232:83-9
Reichling, David B; Green, Paul G; Levine, Jon D (2013) The fundamental unit of pain is the cell. Pain 154 Suppl 1:
Ferrari, Luiz F; Bogen, Oliver; Chu, Carissa et al. (2013) Peripheral administration of translation inhibitors reverses increased hyperalgesia in a model of chronic pain in the rat. J Pain 14:731-8
Hendrich, Jan; Alvarez, Pedro; Joseph, Elizabeth K et al. (2013) Electrophysiological correlates of hyperalgesic priming in vitro and in vivo. Pain 154:2207-15
Irannejad, Roshanak; Tomshine, Jin C; Tomshine, Jon R et al. (2013) Conformational biosensors reveal GPCR signalling from endosomes. Nature 495:534-8
Reichling, David B; Green, Paul G; Levine, Jon D (2013) The fundamental unit of pain is the cell. Pain 154 Suppl 1:S2-9
Schuster, Daniel J; Kitto, Kelley F; Overland, Aaron C et al. (2013) Protein kinase C? is required for spinal analgesic synergy between delta opioid and alpha-2A adrenergic receptor agonist pairs. J Neurosci 33:13538-46
Hendrich, Jan; Alvarez, Pedro; Joseph, Elizabeth K et al. (2012) In vivo and in vitro comparison of female and male nociceptors. J Pain 13:1224-31

Showing the most recent 10 out of 38 publications