The untranslated region of (mu)-opioid receptor mRNA contributes to reduced opioid sensitivity in CXBK mice.

ABSTRACT: It is well known that there are individual differences in a sensitivity to analgesics. Several lines of evidence have suggested that the level of opioid-induced analgesia is dependent on the level of expression of the mu-opioid receptor (mu-OR). However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the diversity of the level of the opioid receptor and the opioid sensitivity among individuals remain to be elucidated. In the present study, we analyzed the opioid-receptor genes of CXBK recombinant-inbred mice, which show reduced sensitivity to opioids. Northern blotting, nucleotide sequencing, and in situ hybridization histochemical analyses demonstrated that CXBK mice possessed mu-OR mRNA with a normal coding region but an abnormally long untranslated region (UTR). In addition, the mu-OR mRNA level i

SUBMITTER: Ikeda K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6762225 | biostudies-literature | 2001 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature