High-affinity naloxone binding to filamin a prevents mu opioid receptor-Gs coupling underlying opioid tolerance and dependence

PLoS One. 2008 Feb 6;3(2):e1554. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0001554.

Abstract

Ultra-low-dose opioid antagonists enhance opioid analgesia and reduce analgesic tolerance and dependence by preventing a G protein coupling switch (Gi/o to Gs) by the mu opioid receptor (MOR), although the binding site of such ultra-low-dose opioid antagonists was previously unknown. Here we show that with approximately 200-fold higher affinity than for the mu opioid receptor, naloxone binds a pentapeptide segment of the scaffolding protein filamin A, known to interact with the mu opioid receptor, to disrupt its chronic opioid-induced Gs coupling. Naloxone binding to filamin A is demonstrated by the absence of [(3)H]-and FITC-naloxone binding in the melanoma M2 cell line that does not contain filamin or MOR, contrasting with strong [(3)H]naloxone binding to its filamin A-transfected subclone A7 or to immunopurified filamin A. Naloxone binding to A7 cells was displaced by naltrexone but not by morphine, indicating a target distinct from opioid receptors and perhaps unique to naloxone and its analogs. The intracellular location of this binding site was confirmed by FITC-NLX binding in intact A7 cells. Overlapping peptide fragments from c-terminal filamin A revealed filamin A(2561-2565) as the binding site, and an alanine scan of this pentapeptide revealed an essential mid-point lysine. Finally, in organotypic striatal slice cultures, peptide fragments containing filamin A(2561-2565) abolished the prevention by 10 pM naloxone of both the chronic morphine-induced mu opioid receptor-Gs coupling and the downstream cAMP excitatory signal. These results establish filamin A as the target for ultra-low-dose opioid antagonists previously shown to enhance opioid analgesia and to prevent opioid tolerance and dependence.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Retracted Publication

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Brain Chemistry
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Contractile Proteins / metabolism*
  • Contractile Proteins / physiology*
  • Corpus Striatum / metabolism*
  • Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
  • Drug Tolerance*
  • Filamins
  • Humans
  • Microfilament Proteins / metabolism*
  • Microfilament Proteins / physiology*
  • Naloxone / pharmacology*
  • Narcotic Antagonists
  • Rats
  • Receptors, Opioid, mu / physiology*

Substances

  • Contractile Proteins
  • Filamins
  • Microfilament Proteins
  • Narcotic Antagonists
  • OPRM1 protein, human
  • Receptors, Opioid, mu
  • Naloxone