Opiate receptor agonists regulate phosphorylation of synapsin I in cocultures of rat spinal cord and dorsal root ganglion.

Kappa opiate receptor agonists applied to cocultures of spinal cord and dorsal root ganglion neurons have been previously shown to inhibit voltage-dependent Ca2+ influx and adenylate cyclase activity. Here we describe the effect of kappa opiate receptor agonists on phosphorylation of synapsin I, a synaptic-vesicle-associated protein whose phosphorylation was shown to be regulated by cAMP and Ca2+ concentrations. Depolarization of spinal cord-dorsal root ganglion cocultured cells (by high K+ or veratridine) and the addition of forskolin (which activates adenylate cyclase) led to increased phosphorylation of synapsin I. Addition of kappa opiate agonists attenuated both the depolarization- and the forskolin-induced phosphorylation of synapsin I. This attenuation was blocked by the opiate antagonist naloxone. mu and delta opiate receptor agonists had much weaker effects on the depolarization-induced phosphorylation of synapsin I. Similarly, kappa opiate agonists decreased (by 40-60%) the high-K+- or veratridine-induced phosphorylation of synapsin I in spinal cord synaptosomes. These results show that opiate ligands modulate synapsin I phosphorylation. Moreover, the data could explain the reduction in synaptic efficacy observed after opiate treatment.