EMD Millipore’s Ready-to-Assay GPCR frozen cells are designed for simple, rapid calcium assays with no requirement for intensive cell culturing. EMD Millipore has optimized the freezing conditions to provide cells with high viability and functionality post-thaw. The user simply thaws the cells and resuspends them in media, dispenses cell suspension into assay plates and, following over night recovery, assays for calcium response.

CB1 is a GPCR that is expressed primarily in brain and nervous tissue, and mediates numerous CNS responses such as analgesia, appetite, cognition, memory and locomotor activity. A number of cannabinoid ligands bind to CB1 and activate Gi/o-mediated downstream responses, including inhibition of cAMP production and activation of ion channels and MAP kinases. Such ligands include exogenous agonists such as 9-THC, the main psychoactive component of the plant Cannabis sativa, and endogenous agonists such as anandamide that belong to eicosanoid family. A number of synthetic agonists such as CP55940 and R-(+)-WIN55212, and antagonists, such as SR141716A, for CB1 have been developed (Howlett et al., 2002). CB1 agonists have clinical utility in analgesia and antiemetic properties, whereas CB1 antagonists show promise for treatment of appetite in obesity disorders. EMD Millipore’s cloned human CB1-expressing cell line is made in the Chem-1 host, which supports high levels of recombinant CB1 expression on the cell surface and contains high levels of the promiscuous G protein G15 to couple the receptor to the calcium signaling pathway. Thus, the cell line is an ideal tool for screening for agonists and antagonists of CB1.

Cell Line Description

Biochem/physiol Actions

Components

SAFETY INFORMATION

WGK Germany