INTRODUCTION Studies in laboratory animals and humans indicate that endogenous opioids play an important role in regulating the rewarding value of various drugs, including ethanol (EtOH). Indeed, opioid antagonists are currently a front-line treatment for alcoholism in humans. Although roles for mu- and delta-opioid receptors have been characterized, the contribution of kappa-opioid receptors (...

Kisspeptin is encoded by the Kiss1 gene, and kisspeptin signaling plays a critical role in reproduction. In rodents, kisspeptin neurons in the arcuate nucleus (Arc) provide tonic drive to gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neurons, which in turn supports basal luteinizing hormone (LH) secretion. Our objectives were to determine whether preprodynorphin (Dyn) and neurokinin B (NKB) are coexpre...

An 8.5-kb cosmid containing the KORRIGAN gene complements the cellulose-deficient rsw2-1 mutant of Arabidopsis. Three temperature-sensitive alleles of rsw2 show single amino acid mutations in the putative endo-1,4-beta-glucanase encoded by KOR. The F1 from crosses between kor-1 and rsw2 alleles shows a weak, temperature-sensitive root phenotype. The shoots of rsw2-1 seedlings produce less cellu...

Dual promoters were identified in the mouse k-opioid receptor (KOR) gene. The distal promoter was located in the 59-upstream region of exon 1 and the proximal promoter was located in the first intron of this gene. The transcription initiation site of the proximal promoter was mapped to the 293rd nucleotide position from the ATG codon in a primer extension experiment. The expression of KOR mRNAs...

Abstract Chronic exposure to methamphetamine (METH) causes severe and persistent cognitive impairment. The present study aimed investigate the role of dynorphin/κ opioid receptor (KOR) system in development METH‐induced We found that mice showed significant impairment novel object recognition test (NOR) following daily injections METH (10 mg/kg) for seven consecutive days. Systemic blockade KOR...

In the mouse 55°C warm-water tail-withdrawal assay, a single administration of nor-binaltorphimine (nor-BNI; 10 mg/kg i.p.) antagonized k-opioid receptor (KOR) agonist-induced antinociception up to 14 days, whereas naloxone (10 mg/kg i.p.)mediated antagonism lasted less than 1 day. In saturation binding experiments, mouse brain membranes isolated and washed 1 or 7 (but not 14) days after nor-BN...

A relatively selective agonist of kappa opioid receptors (KOR), bremazocine (BRE), lowers intraocular pressure in rabbits, in part, by increasing natriuretic peptide levels in aqueous humor and by enhancing total outflow facility (TOF). Natriuretic peptide (NP) levels [atrial NP (ANP), brain NP (BNP), and C-type NP (CNP)] were measured in aqueous humor of rabbits either by radioimmunoassay or e...

Neural stem cells (NSCs) play an important role in the developing as well as adult brain. NSCs have been shown to migrate toward sites of injury in the brain and to participate in the process of brain repair. Like NSCs, cultured human neural precursor cells (NPCs) are self-renewing, multipotent cells capable of differentiating into neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes and of migrating towa...

Neurokinin B (NKB) and its receptor (NK3R) are coexpressed with kisspeptin, Dynorphin A (Dyn), and their receptors [G-protein-coupled receptor-54 (GPR54)] and κ-opioid receptor (KOR), respectively] within kisspeptin/NKB/Dyn (KNDy) neurons in the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus (ARC), the proposed site of the GnRH pulse generator. Much previous research has employed intracerebroventricular (icv) ad...

We report the first example of a coordinated dual action of epidermal growth factor (EGF) in stimulating the nuclear-cytoplasmic export and translation of a select messenger RNA (mRNA). The effect of EGF is mediated by the RNA-binding protein Grb7 (growth factor receptor-bound protein 7), which serves as an adaptor for a specific mRNA-protein export complex and a translational regulator. Using ...