μ-Opioid Agonist Inhibition of κ-Opioid Receptor-Stimulated Extracellular Signal-Regulated Kinase Phosphorylation Is Dynamin-Dependent in C6 Glioma Cells.

Abstract: In previous studies we found that μ-opioids, acting via μ-opioid receptors, inhibit endothelin-stimulated C6 glioma cell growth. In the preceding article we show that the κ-selective opioid agonist U69,593 acts as a mitogen with a potency similar to that of endothelin in the same astrocytic model system. Here we report that C6 cell treatment with μ-opioid agonists for 1 h results in the inhibition of κ-opioid mitogenic signaling. The μ-selective agonist endomorphin-1 attenuates κ-opioid-stimulated DNA synthesis, phosphoinositide turnover, and extracellular signal-regulated kinase phosphorylation. To investigate the role of receptor endocytosis in signaling, we have examined the effects of dynamin-1 and its GTPase-defective, dominant suppressor mutant (K44A) on opioid modulation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase phosphorylation in C6 cells. Overexpression of dynamin K44A in C6 cells does not affect κ-opioid phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase. However, it does block the inhibitory action on κ-opioid signaling mediated by the κ-opioid receptor. Our results are consistent with a growing body of evidence of the opposing actions of μ- and κ-opioids and provide new insight into the role of opioid receptor trafficking in signaling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]