Altered patterns of filopodia production in CHO cells heterologously expressing zebra finch CB1 cannabinoid receptors

Abstract

Recent findings indicate that cannabinoid-altered vocal development involves elevated densities of dendritic spines in a subset of brain regions involved in zebra finch song learning and production suggesting that cannabinoid receptor activation may regulate cell structure. Here we report that activation of zebra finch CB1 receptors (zfCB1, delivered by a lentivector to CHO cells) produces dose-dependent biphasic effects on the mean length of filopodia expressed: Low agonist concentrations (3 nM WIN55212-2) increase lengths while higher concentrations reduce them. In contrast, treatment of zfCB1-expressing cells with the antagonist/inverse agonist SR141716A causes increases in both mean filopodia length and number at 30 and 100 nM. These results demonstrate that CB1 receptor activation can differentially influence filiopodia elongation depending on dose, and demonstrate that manipulation of cannabinoid receptor activity is capable of modulating cell morphology.