Contact Information

Shirley and Stefan Hatos Center for Neuropharmacology
UCLA Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences
Box 951759
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1759
On-campus mail: NPI Box 77 175919
Tel: (310) 206-7884
Fax: (310) 825-7067
E-mail: cevans@ucla.edu
Web: http://hatos.ucla.edu/Hatoscenter.htm

Biosketch

Opioid drugs are abused yet remain important in the clinical treatment of acute and chronic pain. In addition to the dramatic effects on mood, both in the presence of opioids as well as during opioid withdrawal, these drugs have been shown to induce pronounced effects on the immune system. The Evans laboratory has played a fundamental role in elucidating the molecular components of the endogenous opioid system, including the discovery of a number of endogenous opioid peptides as well as cloning of the first opioid receptor. During the past several years, the laboratory has been investigating the regulation and signaling of opioid receptors. The investigators have reported that morphine, unlike the endogenous opioid peptides and potent opioids such as carfentanyl and etorphine, fails to induce internalization of the opioid receptors. This has been regarded as important in the adaptive changes associated with morphine. They have also determined that receptors very closely related to opioid receptors are present in the immune system and that a number of opioid drugs are agonists at these receptors. The projected research of the Center will build upon the selective signaling and regulation of different opioid drugs with the anticipation of discovering optimum receptor interactions that favor analgesia whilst minimizing deleterious side effects of opioids with regard to withdrawal and immune dysfunction.

Selected References

Evans CJ, Keith DE Jr, Morrison H, Magendzo K, Edwards RH. Cloning of a delta opioid receptor by functional expression. Science. 1992; 258: 1952-1955.

Keith DE, Murray SR, Zaki PA, Chu PC, Lissin DV, Kang L, Evans CJ, von Zastrow M. Morphine activates opioid receptors without causing their rapid internalization. Journal of Biological Chemistry. 1996; 271: 19021-19024.

Arjomand J, Cole S, Evans CJ. Novel orphanin FQ/nociceptin transcripts are expressed in human immune cells. Journal of Neuroimmunology. 2002;130:100-108.