Cannabinoid Receptor Type 2 - Mechanism

Mechanism

Like the CB1 receptors, CB2 receptors inhibit the activity of adenylyl cyclase through their Gi/Goα subunits. Through their Gβγ subunits, CB2 receptors are also known to be coupled to the MAPK-ERK pathway, a complex and highly conserved signal transduction pathway, which critically regulates a number of important cellular processes in both mature and developing tissues. Activation of the MAPK-ERK pathway by CB2 receptor agonists acting through the Gβγ subunit ultimately results in changes in cell migration as well as in an induction of the growth-related gene Zif268 (also known as Krox-24, NGFI-A, and egr-1). The Zifi268 gene encodes a transcriptional regulator implicated in neuroplasticity and long term memory formation.

At present, there are five recognized cannabinoids produced endogenously throughout the body: Arachidonoylethanolamine (anandamide), 2-arachidonoyl glycerol (2-AG), 2-arachidonyl glyceryl ether (noladin ether), virodhamine, as well as the recently-discovered N-arachidonoyl-dopamine (NADA). Many of these ligands appear to exhibit properties of functional selectivity at the CB2 receptor: 2-AG preferentially activates the MAPK-ERK pathway, while noladin preferentially inhibits adenylyl cyclase. Like noladin, the synthetic ligand CP-55,940 has also been shown to preferentially inhibit adenylyl cyclase in CB2 receptors. Together, these results support the emerging concept of agonist-directed trafficking at the cannabinoid receptors.

Read more about this topic:  Cannabinoid Receptor Type 2

Famous quotes containing the word mechanism:

    “The law isn’t justice. It’s a very imperfect mechanism. If you press exactly the right buttons and are also lucky, justice may show up in the answer. A mechanism is all the law was ever intended to be.”
    —Raymond Chandler (1888–1959)

    “A mechanism of some kind stands between us and almost every act of our lives.”
    —Sarah Patton Boyle, U.S. civil rights activist and author. The Desegregated Heart, part 3, ch. 2 (1962)

    “When one of us dies of cancer, loses her mind, or commits suicide, we must not blame her for her inability to survive an ongoing political mechanism bent on the destruction of that human being. Sanity remains defined simply by the ability to cope with insane conditions.”
    —Ana Castillo (b. 1953)