Lakshmi A. Devi, PhD, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
A focus of the Devi laboratory is on exploring the molecular mechanisms and the functional implications of opioid receptor dimerization. Opioid receptors are G protein-coupled receptors that are activated by opiate drugs such as morphine and heroin. Recently, the lab discovered that opioid receptors associate with each other and with other members of the G protein-coupled receptor family. This leads to changes in the pharmacological and signaling properties of the receptors, including ligand affinity, potency, and receptor trafficking. Thus, receptor-receptor interactions represent a novel mechanism for modulating opioid receptor function. The Devi is currently investigating the physiological relevance of dimerization, as well as screening for drugs that target receptor heterodimers.
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References
- Gupta A, Décaillot FM, Gomes I, Tkalych O, Heimann AS, Ferro ES, Devi LA. Conformation state-sensitive antibodies to G-protein-coupled receptors. J Biol Chem. 2007 Feb 23;282(8):5116-24.
- Gupta A, Mulder J, Gomes I, Rozenfeld R, Bushlin I, Ong E, Lim M, Maillet E, Junek M, Cahill CM, Harkany T, Devi LA. Increased abundance of opioid receptor heteromers after chronic morphine administration. Sci Signal. 2010 Jul 20;3(131):ra54.
