Monday, May 23, 2022
SCIENMAG: Latest Science and Health News
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • HOME PAGE
  • BIOLOGY
  • CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
  • MEDICINE
    • Cancer
    • Infectious Emerging Diseases
  • SPACE
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • CONTACT US
  • HOME PAGE
  • BIOLOGY
  • CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
  • MEDICINE
    • Cancer
    • Infectious Emerging Diseases
  • SPACE
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • CONTACT US
No Result
View All Result
Scienmag - Latest science news from science magazine
No Result
View All Result
Home SCIENCE NEWS Social & Behavioral Science

Scripps Florida team illuminates molecular player in morphine addiction and rare disease

October 27, 2016
in Social & Behavioral Science
0
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
IMAGE

Credit: James McEntee

JUPITER, FL – October 26, 2016 – In a remarkable "two for one" discovery, scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have illuminated a key molecular player in the addictive effects of morphine in animal models.

Interestingly, the protein–known as neurofibromin 1 (NF1)–is also known to be disrupted in an inherited disorder called neurofibromatosis type 1 (also called von Recklinghausen's disease), in which patients suffer from the growth of benign tumors beneath the skin, chronic pain, mild learning disabilities and an elevated risk of developing cancers.

"We were searching for proteins that influence the long-term effects of opioids," said TSRI Professor Kirill Martemyanov. "In the short-term, opioids kill pain, but we were curious about mechanisms that lead to long-term adaptations that ultimately result in addiction. We screened for proteins that might possibly be involved in this process and what emerged was NF1."

The study, recently published online ahead of print in the journal Current Biology, describes how NF1 influences opioid response through its impact on a signaling protein known as Ras in a part of the brain called the striatum, which is involved in decision making and reward.

When the researchers deleted NF1 in striatal neurons of animal models, opioids failed to engage Ras and its downstream signaling reactions, dramatically diminishing the addictive effects of morphine.

"One of the peculiar symptoms of neurofibromatosis type 1 is that patients often suffer from chronic, unexplained pain," said Martemyanov. "Given that the endogenous opioid system is involved in controlling pain sensitivity and the role of NF1 protein in mediating signaling of opioid receptors, it makes sense that if the mechanism is broken pain, might become an issue."

He also noted the results suggest potential therapies for both conditions: "If you came up with a strategy to inhibit NF1 activity, perhaps the opioids won't be as addictive; but for those suffering from the neurofibromatosis, bypassing NF1 to activate Ras by receptors may be interesting to explore."

###

The first author of the study, "NF1 Is a Direct G Protein Effector Essential for Opioid Signaling to Ras in the Striatum," is Keqiang Xie. Other authors include Maria T. Dao, Brian S. Muntean, Laurie P. Sutton, Cesare Orlandi, Chien-Cheng Shih, Baoji Xu and Roy G. Smith of TSRI; Lesley A. Colgan and Ryohei Yasuda the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience; and Sanford L. Boye, Shannon E. Boye and Yuqing Li of the University of Florida.

The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health (grants DA036082, MH080047, MH101954, NS82244, NS073930 and EY024280); and the Department of Defense (CDMRP grant W81XWH-14-1-0074).

About The Scripps Research Institute

The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) is one of the world's largest independent, not-for-profit organizations focusing on research in the biomedical sciences. TSRI is internationally recognized for its contributions to science and health, including its role in laying the foundation for new treatments for cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, hemophilia, and other diseases. An institution that evolved from the Scripps Metabolic Clinic founded by philanthropist Ellen Browning Scripps in 1924, the institute now employs more than 2,500 people on its campuses in La Jolla, CA, and Jupiter, FL, where its renowned scientists–including two Nobel laureates and 20 members of the National Academy of Science, Engineering or Medicine–work toward their next discoveries. The institute's graduate program, which awards PhD degrees in biology and chemistry, ranks among the top ten of its kind in the nation. For more information, see http://www.scripps.edu.

Media Contact

Eric Sauter
[email protected]
267-337-3859
@scrippsresearch

http://www.scripps.edu

Share25Tweet16Share4ShareSendShare
  • Evaluating federal policy changes to hospice benefit, use by patients with Alzheimer’s disease, related dementias

    68 shares
    Share 27 Tweet 17
  • Charging a green future: Latest advancement in lithium-ion batteries could make them ubiquitous

    74 shares
    Share 30 Tweet 19
  • Cannabis users require more sedation for endoscopy

    66 shares
    Share 26 Tweet 17
  • Null results research now published by major behavioral medicine journal

    313 shares
    Share 125 Tweet 78
  • Are Republicans and Democrats driven by hatred of one another? Less than you think

    65 shares
    Share 26 Tweet 16
  • Liver transplants from drug overdose deaths rose sharply during COVID-19 pandemic

    64 shares
    Share 26 Tweet 16
ADVERTISEMENT

About us

We bring you the latest science news from best research centers and universities around the world. Check our website.

Latest NEWS

Researchers discover genetic cause of megaesophagus in dogs

New study finds worrying linked to more COVID-19 preventative behaviors

Charging a green future: Latest advancement in lithium-ion batteries could make them ubiquitous

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 187 other subscribers

© 2022 Scienmag- Science Magazine: Latest Science News.

No Result
View All Result
  • HOME PAGE
  • BIOLOGY
  • CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
  • MEDICINE
    • Cancer
    • Infectious Emerging Diseases
  • SPACE
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • CONTACT US

© 2022 Scienmag- Science Magazine: Latest Science News.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
Posting....