Shedding "UV" light on endogenous opioid dependence

Hugo A Tejeda; Antonello Bonci

doi:10.1016/j.cell.2014.06.009

Shedding "UV" light on endogenous opioid dependence

Cell. 2014 Jun 19;157(7):1500-1. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2014.06.009.

Authors

Hugo A Tejeda¹, Antonello Bonci²

Affiliations

¹ Synaptic Plasticity Section, Cellular Neurobiology Research Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA.
² Synaptic Plasticity Section, Cellular Neurobiology Research Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA. Electronic address: antonello.bonci@nih.gov.

Abstract

Excessive sun tanning can result in addictive behavior. In this issue of Cell, Fell et al. utilize a combination of behavioral pharmacology and transgenic mice to demonstrate that chronic UV light exposure recruits p53 signaling in keratinocytes, subsequently increasing β-endorphin signaling at opioid receptors, and produces an endogenous opioid-dependent state.

Publication types

Comment

MeSH terms

Animals
Behavior, Addictive*
Humans
Skin / radiation effects*
beta-Endorphin / metabolism*

Substances

beta-Endorphin

Grants and funding

ZIA DA000627/ImNIH/Intramural NIH HHS/United States