The Journal of Neuroscience, June 1, 2001, 21(11):3715-3720
Involvement of Spinal Protein Kinase C
in the Attenuation of
Opioid µ-Receptor-Mediated G-Protein Activation after Chronic
Intrathecal Administration of
[D-Ala2,N-MePhe4,Gly-Ol5]Enkephalin
Minoru
Narita1, 2,
Hirokazu
Mizoguchi2,
Michiko
Narita2,
Hiroshi
Nagase2, 3,
Tsutomu
Suzuki1, and
Leon F.
Tseng2
1 Department of Toxicology, Hoshi University, School of
Pharmacy, Tokyo, 142-8501, Japan, 2 Department of
Anesthesiology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
53226, and 3 Pharmaceutical Research Laboratories, Toray
Industries Incorporated, Kamakura 248-8555, Japan
The present study was designed to investigate the role of a protein
kinase C (PKC) isoform in the uncoupling of the µ-opioid receptor
from G-proteins after repeated intrathecal injection of a
selective µ-receptor agonist,
[D-Ala2,N-MePhe4,Gly-ol5]enkephalin
(DAMGO), in the spinal cord of mice. The activation of G-proteins by
opioids was measured by monitoring the
guanosine-5'-o-(3-[35S]thio)triphosphate
([35S]GTP
S) binding. Mice were injected
intrathecally with saline or DAMGO once a day for 1-7 d. At 24 hr
after every injection the spinal cord membranes were prepared for the
assay. The enhanced [35S]GTP
S binding by
µ-agonists DAMGO, endomorphin-1, or endomorphin-2 was attenuated
clearly in spinal cord membranes obtained from mice that were
treated intrathecally with DAMGO for 5 and 7 d, but not for 1 or
3 d. By contrast, no change in levels of
[35S]GTP
S binding induced by the
-receptor
agonist SNC-80 or
-receptor agonist U-50,488H was noted in membranes
obtained from mice that were treated with DAMGO. Concomitant
intrathecal administration of a specific PKC inhibitor Ro-32-0432 with
DAMGO blocked the attenuation of DAMGO-induced G-protein activation
that was caused by chronic DAMGO treatment. Western blotting analysis
showed that chronic DAMGO treatment increased the levels of PKC
, but
not PKC
, PKC
I, and PKC
II isoforms, in spinal cord membranes.
Furthermore, mice lacking PKC
failed to exhibit the desensitization
of the DAMGO-stimulated [35S]GTP
S binding after
repeated DAMGO injection. These findings indicate that repeated
intrathecal administration of DAMGO may activate the PKC
isoform and
in turn cause a desensitization of µ-receptor-mediated G-protein
activation in the mouse spinal cord.
Key words:
µ-opioid receptor; protein kinase C; phosphorylation; tolerance; G-protein; spinal cord
Copyright © 2001 Society for Neuroscience 0270-6474/01/21113715-06$05.00/0