A New Insight into the Role of CART in Cocaine Reward: Involvement of CaMKII and Inhibitory G-Protein Coupled Receptor Signaling

Cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript (CART) peptides are neuropeptides that are expressed in brain regions associated with reward, such as the nucleus accumbens (NAc), and play a role in cocaine reward. Injection of CART into the NAc can inhibit the behavioral effects of cocaine, and inject...

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Published in:Frontiers in cellular neuroscience 2017-08, Vol.11, p.244-244
Main Authors: Yu, ChengPeng, Zhou, XiaoYan, Fu, Qiang, Peng, QingHua, Oh, Ki-Wan, Hu, ZhenZhen
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Amphetamines
Brain research
Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II
Calcium-binding protein
Calmodulin
CaMKII
CART
Cocaine
cocaine addiction
Cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript protein
D3R
Dopamine
G protein-coupled receptors
GABABR
Kinases
Neuropeptides
Neuroscience
Nucleus accumbens
Peptides
Proteins
Reinforcement
Respiration
Transcription
Ventral tegmentum
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Summary:Cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript (CART) peptides are neuropeptides that are expressed in brain regions associated with reward, such as the nucleus accumbens (NAc), and play a role in cocaine reward. Injection of CART into the NAc can inhibit the behavioral effects of cocaine, and injecting CART into the ventral tegmental area (VTA) reduces cocaine-seeking behavior. However, the exact mechanism of these effects is not clear. Recent research has demonstrated that Ca /calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) and inhibitory G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) signaling are involved in the mechanism of the effect of CART on cocaine reward. Hence, we review the role of CaMKII and inhibitory GPCR signaling in the effect of CART on cocaine reward and provide a new insight into the mechanism of that effect. In this article, we will first review the biological function of CART and discuss the role of CART in cocaine reward. Then, we will focus on the role of CaMKII and inhibitory GPCR signaling in cocaine reward. Furthermore, we will discuss how CaMKII and inhibitory GPCR signaling are involved in the mechanistic action of CART in cocaine reward. Finally, we will provide our opinions regarding the future directions of research on the role of CaMKII and inhibitory GPCR signaling in the effect of CART on cocaine reward.
ISSN:1662-5102
1662-5102
DOI:10.3389/fncel.2017.00244