The Ellington lab in collaboration with the Marcotte lab have engineered yeast to express mu, delta, and kappa opioid receptors. These strains are sensitive biosensors capable of measuring agonist binding profiles. In this work, we have tethered an endogenous opioid peptide, dynorphin A, to display peptides on the inside of the cell wall. With this strategy we are capable of screening large libraries of peptide agonists by isolating the most fluorescent cells. This research informs our understanding of the amino acid profiles of peptides that activate each of the three receptor sub-types. This strategy serves as a high-throughput screen to identify novel agonists.

Associated Lab Members:

Alia Clark-ElSayed