DISTRIBUTION OF NOCICEPTIN ORPHANIN FQ RECEPTOR TRANSCRIPT IN HUMAN CENTRAL-NERVOUS-SYSTEM AND IMMUNE CELLS

We have examined the distribution of the opioid receptor-like-1 (ORL-1 ) transcript in the human CNS as well as human immune cells by RT-PCR and RNAse protection. The hORL-1 mRNA was distributed throughout the b rain and particularly abundant in cortical areas, striatum, thalamus a nd hypothalamus. In the immune system, gene transcription was observed in normal circulating lymphocytes and monocytes as well as in T, B an d monocytic cell lines. A splice variant, lacking 15 nucleotides at th e junction between exon 1 and exon 2, showed a distribution similar to the already known ORL-1 transcript. Altogether these results show com parable expression levels of the hORL-1 gene in both nervous and immun e systems, suggesting that the ORL-1-encoded receptor may particulate to neuronal and non-neuronal physiological functions in humans. (C) 19 98 Elsevier Science B.V.