Comparative analysis of mu-opioid receptor expression in immune and neuronal cells

• Published in: Journal of neuroimmunology Vol. 188; no. 1; pp. 56 - 63
• Main Authors: Börner, Christine, Stumm, Ralf, Höllt, Volker, Kraus, Jürgen
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 01-08-2007
• Subjects: Allergy and Immunology; Animals; Cells, Cultured; Cerebral Cortex - cytology; Cyclic AMP - metabolism; Embryo, Mammalian; Gene Expression Regulation - immunology; Gene Expression Regulation - physiology; Glutamate Decarboxylase - genetics; Glutamate Decarboxylase - metabolism; Humans; In Situ Hybridization; Interleukin-4; Interleukin-4 - pharmacology; Lymphocyte; Mitogen activated protein kinase; Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases - genetics; Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases - metabolism; Morphine - pharmacology; Narcotics - pharmacology; Neuroblastoma; Neurology; Neuron; Neurons - metabolism; Rats; Receptors, Opioid, mu - genetics; Receptors, Opioid, mu - metabolism; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; Somatostatin - analogs & derivatives; Somatostatin - pharmacology; T-Lymphocytes - drug effects; T-Lymphocytes - metabolism; Tumor necrosis factor; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha - pharmacology; Vesicular Glutamate Transport Protein 1 - genetics; Vesicular Glutamate Transport Protein 1 - metabolism; μ-Opioid receptor; μ-Opioid receptor; Interleukin-4; Mitogen activated protein kinase; Neuron; Tumor necrosis factor; Lymphocyte
• ISSN: 0165-5728; 1872-8421
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jneuroim.2007.05.007

Abstract Morphine modulates neuronal and immune cell functions via μ-opioid receptors. In primary and Jurkat T cells, and Raji B cells μ-opioid receptor transcripts were detected only after stimulation of the cells with IL-4 or TNF-α. Moreover, the amount of the induced μ-opioid receptor mRNA in the immune cells was 15 to 200 times less than those in primary cortical and SH SY5Y neuronal cells. Nevertheless, μ-opioid receptor mRNA in immune cells is processed to functional receptors, as demonstrated by morphine-mediated phosphorylation of mitogen activated protein kinase, morphine-mediated up-regulation of IL-4 mRNA and coupling to adenylyl cyclase in Jurkat cells.