The molecular basis for the observed pharmacological functions of opioid analgesic drugs is defined by multiple opioid receptors.
Keywords: pain; 6-protein coupled receptor; receptor cloning; gene structure
Opiate Receptors
PY Law, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Horace H Loh, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Published online: April 2001
DOI: 10.1038/npg.els.0000290
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Figure 1. Serpentine representation of the deduced amino acid sequence of the -, - and
-opioid receptors. The blue circles represent the amino acids that are
common to all three types of opioid receptor. The green circles represent the
amino acids that are common to two of the opioid receptors. The open circles
represent the amino acids that are different in all three opioid receptors.
The leaders indicate the N-terminus and C-termini of the receptors.
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Figure 2. Schematic representation of mouse -opioid receptor gene.
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| Further Reading | |
| book Reisine T and Pasternak G (1996) "Opioid analgesics and antagonists". In: Hardman JG, Limbird LE, Molinoff PB, Ruddon RW and Gilman AG (eds) The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics, 9th edn, pp. 521–555. New York: McGraw Hill. | |
| Mansour A, Fox CA, Akil H and Watson SJ (1995) Opioid-receptor mRNA expression in rat CNS: anatomical and functional implications. Trends in Neuroscience 18: 22–29. | |
| Minami M and Satoh M (1995) Molecular biology of the opioid receptors: structures, functions and distributions. Neuroscience Research 23: 121–145. | |
| Pasternak GW (1988) Multiple morphine and enkephalin receptors and the relief of pain. Journal of American Medical Association 259: 1362–1367. | |
| book Simon EJ and Gioannini TL (1993) "Opioid receptor multiplicity: isolation, purification and chemical characterization of binding sites". In: Herz A (ed.) Opioid I, Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology, vol. 104, pp. 3–26, Berlin: Springer. | |
| North RA (1986) Opioid receptor types and membrane ion channels. Trends in Neuroscience 9: 114–117. | |
