CBD News
ABSTRACT: GPR55 was recently identified as a putative receptor for certain cannabinoids, and lysophosphatidylinositol (LPI). Recently, the role of cannabinoids as GPR55 agonists has been disputed by a number of reports, in part, because studies investigating GPR55 often utilized overexpression systems, such as the GPR55-overexpressing HEK293 cells, which make it difficult to ... Continue Reading
ABSTRACT: Recent studies propose that N-arachidonyl glycine (NAGly), a carboxylic analogue of anandamide, is an endogenous ligand of the Gαi/o protein–coupled receptor 18 (GPR18). However, a high-throughput β-arrestin–based screen failed to detect activation of GPR18 by NAGly (Yin et al., 2009; JBC, 18:12328). To address this inconsistency, this study investigated GPR18 ... Continue Reading
ABSTRACT: Central nervous system responses to cannabis are primarily mediated by CB1 receptors, which couple preferentially to Gi/o G proteins. Here, we used calcium photometry to monitor the effect of CB1 activation on intracellular calcium concentration. Perfusion with 5 μM CB1 aminoalkylindole agonist, WIN55,212-2 (WIN), increased intracellular calcium by several hundred ... Continue Reading
ABSTRACT: Using a reverse transcription-coupled PCR, we demonstrated that both brain and spleen type cannabinoid receptor (CB1-R and CB2-R, respectively) mRNAs are expressed in the preimplantation mouse embryo. The CB1-R mRNA expression was coincident with the activation of the embryonic genome late in the two-cell stage, whereas the CB2-R mRNA was present from the one-cell ... Continue Reading
ABSTRACT: Using RNA (Northern) blot hybridization and reverse transcription-PCR, we demonstrate that the brain-type cannabinoid receptor (CB1-R) mRNA, but not the spleen-type cannabinoid receptor (CB2-R) mRNA, is expressed in the mouse uterus and that this organ has the capacity to synthesize the putative endogenous cannabinoid ligand, anandamide (arachidonylethanolamide). ... Continue Reading
