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Opioid receptors signaling network.

Lathika Gopalakrishnan1,2,3, Oishi Chatterjee1,3,4, Namitha Ravishankar1

  • 1Institute of Bioinformatics, International Tech Park, Bangalore, 560 066, India.

Journal of Cell Communication and Signaling
|November 1, 2021
PubMed
Summary

This study details a comprehensive opioid receptor signaling pathway map, consolidating downstream molecules for four receptor subtypes. This resource aids research into pain management and opioid-related disorders.

Keywords:
NetPathNociceptionOpioid signalingOpioid tolerancePost-translational modificationsProtein–protein interactions

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Area of Science:

  • Pharmacology and Molecular Biology
  • Neuroscience
  • Systems Biology

Background:

  • Opioid receptors, a class of G-protein-coupled receptors, mediate the effects of opiates and endogenous ligands.
  • They are crucial for pain regulation but chronic use leads to adverse effects like tolerance and addiction.
  • Existing knowledge on opioid signaling networks is fragmented.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To create a comprehensive signaling pathway map for the four opioid receptor subtypes (mu, delta, kappa, and opioid receptor-like 1).
  • To systematically collect and categorize downstream signaling molecules activated by opioid receptors.
  • To make this curated data publicly accessible to advance research.

Main Methods:

  • Manual curation of literature-based reactions triggered by opioid receptor activation.
  • Categorization of reactions into molecular association, activation/inhibition, catalysis, transport, and gene regulation.
  • Representation of curated data as a signaling pathway map adhering to NetPath criteria.

Main Results:

  • A dataset of 180 downstream molecules involved in opioid receptor signaling was compiled.
  • A detailed opioid receptor signaling pathway map was constructed.
  • The pathway map is publicly available on WikiPathways.

Conclusions:

  • The developed opioid receptor signaling pathway map provides a unified view of molecular events.
  • Public accessibility of this map is expected to accelerate research in pain therapeutics and opioid-related conditions.
  • This resource facilitates a deeper understanding of opioid receptor pharmacology.