GAP43: A new cannabinoid CB1 receptor-interacting protein

Abstract

The hemp plant (Cannabis sativa L.) has been used in medicine for at least fifty centuries. However, the chemical structure of its specific active components, the cannabinoids (9-tetrahydrocannabinol - THC and cannabidiol - CBD), was not elucidated until the early 1960s. Afterwards, two speci c G protein-coupled cannabinoid receptors were identi ed: CB1R, which is especially abundant in areasof the central nervous system (CNS) involved in the control of motor behaviour, learning and memory, or emotions; and CB2R, which is preferentially expressed in the immune system. These receptors are activated by endogenous ligands, the endocannabinoids (eCBs). By engaging CB1R in particular, both endogenous and exogenous cannabinoids exert pleiotropic, neuromodulatory effects on our brain. Particularly high levels of CB1R occur in the hippocampal formation, which shows a highly organized intrinsic circuit with the main purpose of memory consolidation...La planta del cáñamo (Cannabis sativa L.) se ha utilizado en medicina desde hace al menos cincuenta siglos. Sin embargo, la estructura química de sus componentes activos, los cannabinoides (9-tetrahydrocannabinol - THC and cannabidiol - CBD)no fue dilucidada hasta la decada de 1960. Tres decadas despues, dos receptores de cannabinoides acoplados a protenas G fueron caracterizados: el de tipo 1 (CB1R),que es especialmente abundante en las areas del sistema nervioso central implicadas en el control de la actividad motora, aprendizaje y memoria o emociones; y el de tipo2 (CB2R), que se expresa preferentemente en el sistema inmune. Estos receptores son activados por ligandos endogenos, los endocannabinoides (eCBs). Concretamente a traves de la activacion de CB1R, los cannabinoides, tanto endogenos como exogenos, ejercen importantes efectos neuromoduladores en nuestro cerebro. Niveles de expresion de CB1R particularmente altos se pueden encontrar en la formacion hipocampal, que alberga circuitos altamente interconectados implicados en la consolidacion de la memoria...