Using opioid receptors to expand the chemogenetic and optogenetic toolbox

Diane M Damez-Werno; Paul J Kenny

doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2015.05.014

Using opioid receptors to expand the chemogenetic and optogenetic toolbox

Neuron. 2015 May 20;86(4):853-855. doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2015.05.014.

Authors

Diane M Damez-Werno¹, Paul J Kenny²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pharmacology and Systems Therapeutics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1 Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY 10029-6574, USA.
² Department of Pharmacology and Systems Therapeutics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1 Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY 10029-6574, USA. Electronic address: paul.kenny@mssm.edu.

PMID: 25996128
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2015.05.014

Abstract

In this issue of Neuron, innovative new modifications to opioid receptors are used to expand the tools available to modulate neuronal activity. Vardy et al. (2015) describe a new "DREADD" chemogenetic tool based on the inhibitory κ opioid receptor (KORD) that can be used in conjunction with already-available DREADDs. Siuda et al. (2015) report the development of "opto-MOR," a light-activatable μ opioid receptor (MOR) chimera that can be used to better understand the complexities of MOR signaling.

Publication types

Comment

MeSH terms

Analgesics, Opioid / pharmacology*
Animals
Behavior, Animal / drug effects*
Diterpenes / pharmacology*
GABAergic Neurons / drug effects*
Neurons / drug effects*
Optogenetics*
Receptors, Opioid, kappa / metabolism*
Receptors, Opioid, mu / metabolism*
Signal Transduction / drug effects*

Substances

Analgesics, Opioid
Diterpenes
Receptors, Opioid, kappa
Receptors, Opioid, mu