Regulation of N-type calcium channels by nociceptin receptors and its possible role in neurological disorders

  • Mol Brain. 2022 Nov 24;15(1):95. doi: 10.1186/s13041-022-00982-z.
Emanuelle Sistherenn Caminski  1 ,  Flavia Tasmin Techera Antunes  2  3 ,  Ivana Assis Souza  2  3 ,  Eliane Dallegrave  1 ,  Gerald W Zamponi  4  5
Affiliations
  • 1. Graduate Program in Health Sciences, Laboratory of Research in Toxicology (LAPETOX), Federal University of Health Sciences of Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
  • 2. Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
  • 3. Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
  • 4. Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada. [email protected].
  • 5. Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada. [email protected].
PMID: 36434658 DOI: 10.1186/s13041-022-00982-z
Abstract

Activation of nociceptin opioid peptide receptors (NOP, a.k.a. opioid-like receptor-1, ORL-1) by the ligand nociceptin/orphanin FQ, leads to G protein-dependent regulation of Cav2.2 (N-type) voltage-gated calcium channels (VGCCs). This typically causes a reduction in calcium currents, triggering changes in presynaptic calcium levels and thus neurotransmission. Because of the widespread expression patterns of NOP and VGCCs across multiple brain regions, the dorsal horn of the spinal cord, and the dorsal root ganglia, this results in the alteration of numerous neurophysiological features. Here we review the regulation of N-type calcium channels by the NOP-nociceptin system in the context of neurological conditions such as anxiety, addiction, and pain.

Keywords
Anxiety; G protein-coupled receptor; Learning; ORL-1; Opioid receptor; Pain.