The third extracellular loop of the mu opioid receptor is important for agonist selectivity.

To investigate the interaction between the mu opioid receptor and its ligands, we compared the binding of mu-selective ligands to two mu/kappa chimeric opioid receptors and to mu and kappa receptors. The two chimeras were constructed from cloned rat mu and kappa receptors in which a segment from the middle of the third intracellular loop to the C terminus was exchanged. When this portion of the kappa receptor was replaced by that of the mu receptor, affinities of mu selective agonists, DAMGO (Tyr-D-Ala-Gly-NMePhe-Gly-ol), PL017 (Tyr-Pro-NMePhe-D-Pro-NH2), sufentanil, and morphine, were greatly increased as compared to those for the kappa receptor. Conversely, when this region of the mu receptor was substituted by that of the kappa receptor, affinities for these agonists were substantially decreased as compared with those of the mu receptor. Unlike selective agonists, the mu-selective antagonist, CTAP (D-Phe-Cys-Tyr-D-Trp-Arg-Thr-penicillamine-Thr-NH2), displayed a low affinity for both chimeric receptors, similar to that of the kappa receptor. Thus, the region from the middle of the third intracellular loop to the C terminus of the mu receptor is important for the binding of selective agonists. Conversely, the determinants for selective binding of the antagonist CTAP reside in a more extended region of the receptor.