title: Mu-opioid agonist-induced activation of G-protein-coupled inwardly rectifying potassium current in rat periaqueductal gray neurons.
abstract: The characteristics of the inwardly rectifying K+ current activated by a mu-type opioid agonist, D-Ala2,N-MePhe4,Gly5-ol-enkephalin (DAMGO), were examined in the acutely dissociated rat periaqueductal gray neurons using the nystatin-perforated and the conventional whole-cell recording modes under voltage-clamp conditions. DAMGO activated inward currents in a concentration- and voltage-dependent manner. The DAMGO-induced current was an inwardly rectifying K+ current (I(DAMGO)) which was sensitive to K+ channel blockers, quinine and Ba2+ but insensitive to Cs+ and tetraethylammonium. In the conventional whole-cell clamp mode, guanosine 5'-O-(2-thiodiphosphate) trilithium salt (GDPbetas, 0.4 mM) inhibited the amplitude of I(DAMGO) to 28% of that of the initial current. After the intracellular perfusion with guanosine 5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate) tetralithium salt (GTPgammas, 0.4 mM) for 1 min, the first application of DAMGO irreversibly activated I(DAMGO). By the extracellular application of N-ethylmaleimide at a concentration of 50 microM for 2 min, I(DAMGO) was completely abolished. When a conventional whole-cell patch was made with a patch-pipette containing 1 microg/ml of pertussis toxin together with 1 mM of beta-nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, I(DAMGO) gradually declined to about 41% of its initial amplitude. The extracellular application of second messenger modulators including protein kinase inhibitor (staurosporin), protein kinase A activators (forskolin, 3-isobutyl-l-methyl-xanthine and dibutyryladenosine 3'5'-cyclic monophosphate) and protein kinase C activators (phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate and 1-oleoyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycerol) had no effect on I(DAMGO). These results suggest that (i) DAMGO-activated inwardly rectifying K+ current is mediated by pertussis toxin-sensitive guanine nucleotide binding proteins (G-proteins); (ii) the types of G protein involved in I(DAMGO) are Gi and/or Go; and (iii) the G-proteins exert their roles in I(DAMGO) without any mediation of the second messenger systems.
authors: Department of Physiology, Kyunghee University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
authors: S H
authors: SH
authors: Han
authors: Y W
authors: YW
authors: Cho
authors: C J
authors: CJ
authors: Kim
authors: B I
authors: BI
authors: Min
authors: J S
authors: JS
authors: Rhee
authors: N
authors: N
authors: Akaike
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D020875:Enkephalin, Ala(2)-MePhe(4)-Gly(5)-; D004745:Enkephalins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D007700:Kinetics; D008297:Male; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques; D010487:Periaqueductal Gray / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D015221:Potassium Channels / Q000502:physiology*; D024661:Potassium Channels, Inwardly Rectifying; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D017450:Receptors, Opioid, mu / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D004745:Enkephalins; D015221:Potassium Channels; D024661:Potassium Channels, Inwardly Rectifying; D017450:Receptors, Opioid, mu; D020875:Enkephalin, Ala(2)-MePhe(4)-Gly(5)-; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins