title: Monitoring opioid receptor dimerization in living cells by bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET).
abstract: Bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET) is a natural phenomenon that has been successfully applied for the study of protein-protein interactions, including opioid receptor oligomers. The discovery of opioid receptor homomers and heteromers has brought to the finding of new functions and new way of signaling and trafficking; therefore, opioid receptor oligomers may be considered as novel drug targets. Fusing receptors of interest with Renilla luciferase and with a fluorescent protein (such as EYFP), it is possible to study opioid receptor dimerization using BRET.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology (FaBiT), University of Bologna, Via Irnerio 48, Bologna, 40126, Italy, monica.baiula@unibo.it.
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Baiula
mesh_terms: D060807:Bioluminescence Resonance Energy Transfer Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D002460:Cell Line; D022781:Hepatocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D049410:Luciferases, Renilla / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D008967:Molecular Biology / Q000379:methods; D011485:Protein Binding; D055503:Protein Multimerization; D011957:Receptors, Opioid / Q000737:chemistry*; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D011957:Receptors, Opioid; D049410:Luciferases, Renilla