A common human micro-opioid receptor genetic variant diminishes the receptor signaling efficacy in brain regions processing the sensory information of pain

  • The single nucleotide polymorphism 118A>G of the human micro-opioid receptor gene OPRM1, which leads to an exchange of the amino acid asparagine (N) to aspartic acid (D) at position 40 of the extracellular receptor region, alters the in vivo effects of opioids to different degrees in pain-processing brain regions. The most pronounced N40D effects were found in brain regions involved in the sensory processing of pain intensity. Using the mu-opioid receptor-specific agonist DAMGO, we analyzed the micro-opioid receptor signaling, expression, and binding affinity in human brain tissue sampled postmortem from the secondary somatosensory area (SII) and from the ventral posterior part of the lateral thalamus, two regions involved in the sensory processing and transmission of nociceptive information. We show that the main effect of the N40D micro-opioid receptor variant is a reduction of the agonist-induced receptor signaling efficacy. In the SII region of homo- and heterozygous carriers of the variant 118G allele (n=18), DAMGO was only 62% as efficient (p=0.002) as in homozygous carriers of the wild-type 118A allele (n=15). In contrast, the number of [3H]DAMGO binding sites was unaffected. Hence, the micro-opioid receptor G-protein coupling efficacy in SII of carriers of the 118G variant was only 58% as efficient as in homozygous carriers of the 118A allele (p<0.001). The thalamus was unaffected by the OPRM1 118A>G SNP. In conclusion, we provide a molecular basis for the reduced clinical effects of opioid analgesics in carriers of mu-opioid receptor variant N40D.

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Metadaten
Author:Bruno Georg OertelORCiDGND, Mattias KettnerORCiDGND, Klaus ScholichORCiD, Christoph RennéGND, Bianca RoskamGND, Gerd GeisslingerORCiDGND, Peter Harald Schmidt, Jörn LötschORCiDGND
URN:urn:nbn:de:hebis:30:3-764397
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1074/jbc.M807030200
ISSN:0021-9258
Pubmed Id:https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19116204
Parent Title (English):Journal of biological chemistry
Publisher:American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Publications
Place of publication:Bethesda, Md
Document Type:Article
Language:English
Date of Publication (online):2021/01/04
Year of first Publication:2009
Publishing Institution:Universitätsbibliothek Johann Christian Senckenberg
Release Date:2024/04/25
Volume:284.2009
Issue:10
Page Number:6
First Page:6530
Last Page:6535
Institutes:Medizin
Dewey Decimal Classification:5 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik / 57 Biowissenschaften; Biologie / 570 Biowissenschaften; Biologie
6 Technik, Medizin, angewandte Wissenschaften / 61 Medizin und Gesundheit / 610 Medizin und Gesundheit
Sammlungen:Universitätspublikationen
Licence (German):License LogoCreative Commons - CC BY - Namensnennung 4.0 International