Detection of Mu-Opioid Receptors in SH-SY5Y Human Neuroblastoma Cells by Flow Cytometry.

Compared to untagged controls, antibody-tagging on SH-SY5Y cell surface produced greater immunofluorescence indicating presence of MORs in both non-transfected and 23F cAMP plasmid transfected cells. Direct binding of receptor modulators leads to altered downstream cAMP signaling as shown in previous in vitro signaling studies and behavioral mouse models. Detection of the MOR is essential to ensure that cAMP signaling is regulated by MOR agonists. In future studies, we plan to investigate the expression of endothelin-A receptor (ETAR) and explore potential interactions between MOR and ETAR in SH-SY5Y cells.