Altered patterns of filopodia production in CHO cells heterologously expressing zebra finch CB(1) cannabinoid receptors.

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 CB 1 receptors (zfCB 1, 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 zfCB 1-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 CB 1 receptor activation can differentially influence filiopodia elongation depending on dose, and demonstrate that manipulation of cannabinoid receptor activity is capable of modulating cell morphology.