7] Reduction of neurotransmitter receptor and G-protein expression in vivo and in vitro by antisense oligodeoxynucleotide treatment

Abstract

The use of antisense oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) to reduce or eliminate the expression of specific proteins has become an increasingly important research tool. Although there is some disagreement about the precise mechanism of its action, the exquisite specificity of the ODN for its target is hardly disputed. The increased popularity and utilization of this approach have also spurred the establishment of many new businesses dedicated to the custom synthesis of antisense ODNs, in any number of shapes, forms, and styles, all at increasingly more affordable rates. This combination of specificity, availability, and affordability has allowed more and more investigators to utilize this molecular approach without the added expense of establishing a costly traditional molecular biology dimension within their laboratories. The use of ODNs has been especially fruitful when applied to neurotransmitter receptors and components of second-messenger systems and has allowed addressing questions about receptor/second-messenger interactions and second-messenger-mediated downstream events that have been difficult to answer. This chapter describes how antisense ODNs may be used in cultured cell lines and in intact animals to reduce the expression of neurotransmitter receptors and glyco (G) proteins.