mitogen
Bluelighter
- Joined
- Nov 8, 2004
- Messages
- 127
Hey folks,
These RGS proteins were the subject of a lot of my literature research. I thought I'd put a couple of journal links out there for people to check out. Because these proteins are extremely spatially selective (ie different RGS are produced in specific regions) it is highly likely that drugs targeting these proteins will complement administration of pre-existing drugs. For example, one could target the specific RGS that interacts with Mu receptors in the mesolimbic dopamine pathway. That way you could give only a tiny dose of morphine, and its effect would be massively potentiated in the reward pathways, but the dose would be far too low to have a physiological effect on other areas. Alternatively you could specifically target RGS proteins in the periaqueductal grey and spinal cord: that way the dose would be too low to affect dopamine release and therefore reinforcement.
I think that in the future, cocktails of drugs will be given to vastly increase the spatial specificity of where a mu agonist, for example, actually acts in the brain. Imagine if opioids could be given in tandem with another drug that eliminates their dependence producing properties...
Additionally, there are many drugs being developed that act on different proteins involved in receptor desensitisation and cellular tolerance.
Another group of proteins that interact with G-proteins and regulate their activity are GRK's (g-protein receptor kinases.)
These RGS proteins were the subject of a lot of my literature research. I thought I'd put a couple of journal links out there for people to check out. Because these proteins are extremely spatially selective (ie different RGS are produced in specific regions) it is highly likely that drugs targeting these proteins will complement administration of pre-existing drugs. For example, one could target the specific RGS that interacts with Mu receptors in the mesolimbic dopamine pathway. That way you could give only a tiny dose of morphine, and its effect would be massively potentiated in the reward pathways, but the dose would be far too low to have a physiological effect on other areas. Alternatively you could specifically target RGS proteins in the periaqueductal grey and spinal cord: that way the dose would be too low to affect dopamine release and therefore reinforcement.
I think that in the future, cocktails of drugs will be given to vastly increase the spatial specificity of where a mu agonist, for example, actually acts in the brain. Imagine if opioids could be given in tandem with another drug that eliminates their dependence producing properties...
Additionally, there are many drugs being developed that act on different proteins involved in receptor desensitisation and cellular tolerance.
Another group of proteins that interact with G-proteins and regulate their activity are GRK's (g-protein receptor kinases.)
