CRISPR/Cas9 unveils the dynamics of the endogenous µ-opioid receptors on neuronal cells under continuous opioid stimulation.

Long-term opioid use develops tolerance and attenuates analgesic effects. Upon activation, µ-opioid receptors (MOPs) are internalized and directed to either recycling or degradation pathway. Ligand stimulation also promotes de novo MOP synthesis. These processes collaboratively regulate MOP expression and play critical roles in tolerance development. However, there is limited understanding of how the endogenous MOP expression changes after prolonged opioid administration because previous analyses have focused on individual processes using overexpression systems, which ignored physiological regulation. Another fundamental problem is the unavailability of commercial antibodies to detect the low expression of endogenous MOP in neuronal systems. Here, we established a neuronal cell line to detect endogenous MOP with sufficient sensitivity using CRISPR/Cas9 technology. We incorporated the hemagglutinin sequence into the MOP gene of the SH-SY5Y cell. The genome-editing did not significantly impair MOP functions such as MOP internalization or the downstream signaling. The clone was differentiated into a state similar to the primary culture undergoing treatment with all-trans retinoic acid, followed by brain-derived neurotrophic factor. Upon continuous stimulation with MOP ligands, endogenous MOP constantly decreased up to 48 h. The expression level was maintained at a certain level following this period, depending on the ligand properties. DAMGO reduced MOP from the cell surface by about 70%, while morphine did so by 40%. Our results indicate that even a few days of opioid administration could significantly reduce the MOP expression level. Our cell line could be a potential tool to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying the problems caused by long-term opioid use.