title: Orphanin FQ inhibits synaptic transmission and long-term potentiation in rat hippocampus.
abstract: It is known that opioid peptides acting on opioid receptors can modulate hippocampal synaptic functions. Although a novel member of the opioid receptor family, ORL1 receptors, that displays high-sequence homology with classical opioid receptors is abundant in the hippocampus, little is known regarding its role in synaptic function. The present study was designed to investigate whether activation of the ORL1 receptor by its natural ligand, orphanin FQ, could modulate synaptic transmission and synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus. The actions of orphanin FQ in the CA1 and dentate gyrus were examined by field potential recordings in response to stimulation of Schaffer collaterals and perforant path, respectively. Our results showed that orphanin FQ, but not the inactive analog des-Phe1-orphanin FQ, reduced both the slope of the excitatory postsynaptic potentials and population spike amplitude. The inhibitory effect of orphanin FQ is dose dependent and probably involves a presynaptic mechanism, as suggested by the significantly increased paired-pulse facilitation evoked in the presence of orphanin FQ. In addition, orphanin FQ was found to inhibit the induction of long-term potentiation at the Schaffer collateral-CA1 synapse. These results demonstrate that orphanin FQ can function as an inhibitory modulator regulating synaptic transmission and synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus, suggesting that activation of ORL1 receptors may play an important role in synaptic plasticity involved in learning and memory.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California-Los Angeles, USA.
authors.forename: T P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fein
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Phan
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Evans
authors.forename: C W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Xie
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D018891:Dentate Gyrus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D017774:Long-Term Potentiation / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D018847:Opioid Peptides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017966:Pyramidal Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D011957:Receptors, Opioid / Q000819:agonists / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000187:drug effects*; D000094942:Nociceptin Receptor; D000097629:Nociceptin
chemical_list: D018847:Opioid Peptides; D011957:Receptors, Opioid; D000094942:Nociceptin Receptor; D000097629:Nociceptin; C000722285:Oprl1 protein, rat