Kappa Opioid Receptor Expression by Macrophages
Faculty Department
BCES
Presentation Type
Powerpoint
Location
H239
Zoom Link
Start Date
February 2025
End Date
February 2025
Description (Abstract)
The endogenous opioid system includes three primary opioid receptors: the mu, delta, and kappa opioid receptors. Each is a G-protein-coupled receptor expressed on the exterior membrane of diverse cell types, with neuronal cells having been the most extensively investigated. Our initial goal was to develop a method for detecting and quantifying functional opioid receptor expression by cells. We developed a novel fluorescent opioid receptor label, ROSL-1, for the purposes of detecting functional opioid receptors expressed on the exterior surface of cells. Our initial characterization studies investigated ROSL-1 binding to a macrophage cell line, I-13.35, originally developed from mouse spleen cells. Under certain washing conditions, we observed elevated opioid receptor binding by ROSL-1, as it was inhibited by the nonspecific opioid antagonist Naltrexone. Based on these findings, previous descriptions of kappa opioid receptors in immune cells and the effects of opioid compounds on macrophages have been extensively reviewed. There are many possible mechanisms by which kappa opioid activation may be regulating macrophage properties. Further investigation across different macrophage cell lines is necessary to elucidate the role of kappa opioid receptors in macrophages more fully.
Keywords
kappa opioid receptor, macrophage, fluorescence, GPCR, receptor binding, receptor expression
Related Pillar(s)
Study
Kappa Opioid Receptor Expression by Macrophages
H239
The endogenous opioid system includes three primary opioid receptors: the mu, delta, and kappa opioid receptors. Each is a G-protein-coupled receptor expressed on the exterior membrane of diverse cell types, with neuronal cells having been the most extensively investigated. Our initial goal was to develop a method for detecting and quantifying functional opioid receptor expression by cells. We developed a novel fluorescent opioid receptor label, ROSL-1, for the purposes of detecting functional opioid receptors expressed on the exterior surface of cells. Our initial characterization studies investigated ROSL-1 binding to a macrophage cell line, I-13.35, originally developed from mouse spleen cells. Under certain washing conditions, we observed elevated opioid receptor binding by ROSL-1, as it was inhibited by the nonspecific opioid antagonist Naltrexone. Based on these findings, previous descriptions of kappa opioid receptors in immune cells and the effects of opioid compounds on macrophages have been extensively reviewed. There are many possible mechanisms by which kappa opioid activation may be regulating macrophage properties. Further investigation across different macrophage cell lines is necessary to elucidate the role of kappa opioid receptors in macrophages more fully.
Short Biography
As a researcher in the Laboratory of the Biology of Addictive Diseases at Rockefeller University before coming to Molloy, Dr. Brian Reed was engaged in studies investigating the role of the endogenous opioid system in health and disease. He is establishing an undergraduate research program at Molloy to further investigate the opioid subtype, the kappa opioid receptor, in cell culture models. Specific areas of expertise that will guide Dr. Reed's kappa opioid receptor research include developing new organic compounds capable of binding to the kappa opioid receptor (Drug Discovery), kappa opioid receptor cellular signaling, and pharmacology of the opioid system. His primary goal is to use diverse kappa opioids to probe the signaling mechanisms underlying the effects of kappa opioid receptor activation on diverse physiological systems.