title: Colocalization of mu opioid receptors with GIRK1 potassium channels in the rat brain: an immunocytochemical study.
abstract: Affinity-purified anti-peptide antibodies generated against the carboxy-terminal region of the mu opioid receptor and the GIRK1 (Kir 3.1) ion channel were used to localize these two proteins in the rat brain. Mu opioid receptor immunoreactivity was detected in brain regions that were previously found to contain mu opioid binding sites using autoradiography. The distribution of GIRK1 immunoreactivity in the brain correlated well with a previous in situ hybridization study. Confocal microscopy of rat brain sections double-labelled with anti-mu opioid receptor and anti-GIRK1 antibodies revealed colocalization of GIRK1 and mu opioid receptor immunoreactivities in somata of subpopulations of neurons in the cerebral cortex, anterior olfactory nucleus, nucleus accumbens, globus pallidus, substantia nigra, peripeduncular nucleus, hippocampal formation, diagonal band, thalamus, locus coeruleus, dorsal raphe, red nucleus, nucleus of the trapezoid body, reticular nucleus, vestibular nucleus, inferior colliculus and the mesencephalic trigeminal nucleus. These anatomical findings suggest that the mu opioid receptor may couple to GIRK1 in some but not all regions of the rat brain.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, University of Washington, Seattle 98195-7280, USA.
authors.forename: S B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Bausch
authors.forename: T A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Patterson
authors.forename: M U
authors.initials: MU
authors.lastname: Ehrengruber
authors.forename: H A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Lester
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Davidson
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chavkin
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D001923:Brain Chemistry; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D051676:G Protein-Coupled Inwardly-Rectifying Potassium Channels; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000737:chemistry; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009842:Oligopeptides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology; D009865:Oocytes; D015221:Potassium Channels / Q000032:analysis* / Q000276:immunology; D024661:Potassium Channels, Inwardly Rectifying; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D017450:Receptors, Opioid, mu / Q000032:analysis* / Q000276:immunology; D014982:Xenopus laevis
chemical_list: D051676:G Protein-Coupled Inwardly-Rectifying Potassium Channels; D009842:Oligopeptides; D015221:Potassium Channels; D024661:Potassium Channels, Inwardly Rectifying; D017450:Receptors, Opioid, mu