Viewpoints:

Dispatches from the Frontlines of Research - edited by John W. Nelson

Phillip M. Gerk and Mary Vore

The Ileocyte Basolateral Organic Solute Transporter (OST–OSTß) Complex: Finding The Missing Link in Enterohepatic Circulation
Mol. Interv. 2005 5: 8-10. [Summary] [Full Text] [PDF]  

Hong D. Xiao and Kenneth E. Bernstein

Mast Cells: The Missing Source of Cardiac Renin?
Mol. Interv. 2005 5: 11-14. [Summary] [Full Text] [PDF]  

Theodore D. Chung and William C. Broaddus

Molecular Targeting in Radiotherapy: Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor
Mol. Interv. 2005 5: 15-19. [Summary] [Full Text] [PDF]  

R E V I E W S:

Steven R. Hursh, Chad M. Galuska, Gail Winger, and James H. Woods

The Economics of Drug Abuse: a Quantitative Assessment of Drug Demand
Mol. Interv. 2005 5: 20-28. [Summary] [Full Text] [PDF]  

Over the past two decades, new techniques in brain imaging have detailed neuroanatomical and neurophysiological changes associated with drug abuse and addiction. But clinically, addiction to drugs of abuse is defined in terms ofbehavior, and the propensity to become addicted to one drug as opposed to another—or to be rehabilitated, by alternative treatments, from addictive behaviors—can only be assessed as a matter of options available from a repertoire of possible behaviors. A quantitative measure of the ways that organisms negotiate such options is provided by the field of behavioral economics. By appraising drug use in terms of commodity demand, behavioral economists are able to measure the relative propensities for diverse drugs to become addictive and to model alternative treatments of addiction.

John R. Traynor and Richard R. Neubig

REGULATORs OF G PROTEIN SIGNALING & DRUGS OF ABUSE
Mol. Interv. 2005 5: 30-41. [Summary] [Full Text] [PDF]  

With approximately 1000 G protein–coupled receptors (GPCRs) in the human proteome, the selective regulation of G protein–transduced signals is an inordinately complicated task. The aptly named regulators of G protein signaling (RGS) are a family of proteins that interact primarily with G subunits and help integrate diverse signaling pathways. The role of RGS proteins in coordinating basic aspects of cell signaling appears to be pivotal in a number of respects, including both acute and chronic cellular responses to drugs of abuse. The expression of a number of RGS proteins is modulated in response to opioids and stimulants, and this modulation occurs in brain regions that are key to the elaboration of adaptive responses to drugs, including sensitization, dependence, and tolerance. A better understanding of RGS proteins in these processes may lead to novel targets for the treatment of drug addiction.

Rainer K. Reinscheid, Yan-Ling Xu, and Olivier Civelli

Neuropeptide S: A New Player in the Modulation of Arousal and Anxiety
Mol. Interv. 2005 5: 42-46. [Summary] [Full Text] [PDF]  

Neuropeptide S (NPS) occurs in a great variety of animal species, including humans, and manifests intriguing properties that make it unique among neurotransmitters, and indeed, among known pharmacological agents. Like hypocretin (orexin), NPS signals through a GPCR that until recently had remained "orphanized." And like hypocretin, NPS appears to play a role in the regulation of sleep/wakefulness. When administered centrally, however, NPS not only promotes wakefulness, but exerts anxiolytic effects. NPS may thus hold the key to the development of novel drugs to combat symptoms of somnolence without causing anxiogenesis.

D E P A R T M E N T S:

Speaking of Pharmacology:

Myron L. Toews, Stephanie W. Watts, and Barbara S. Beckman

Preserving and Promoting Our Discipline: Pharmacology Students Speak Out
Mol. Interv. 2005 5: 4-7. [Full Text] [PDF]  

Beyond the Bench:

Representations of pharmacology and science in the media

Christie Carrico

Neurodrama
Mol. Interv. 2005 5: 48-49. [Full Text] [PDF]  

Net Results:

Sites of interest on the World Wide Web

Sites of interest on the World Wide Web—edited by Rick Neubig and David Roman
Mol. Interv. 2005 5: 50. [Full Text] [PDF]  

Outliers:

Cartoon

Mol. Interv. 2005 5: 56. [Full Text] [PDF]  

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