Search for neurotransmitter receptors
Bunzow, J.R., Van Tol, H.H., Grandy, D.K., Albert, P., Salon, J., Christie, M., Machida, C., Neve, K.A. and Civelli, O. (1988) Cloning and expression of a rat D2 dopamine receptor cDNA. Nature, 336:783-787.
Zhou, Q.Y., Grandy, D.K., Thambi, L., Kushner, J., Van Tol, H.H.M., Cone, R., Pribnow, D., Salon, J., Bunzow, J.R. and Civelli, O. (1990) Cloning and expression of human and rat D1 dopamine receptors. Nature, 347:76-80.
Van Tol, H.H.M., Bunzow, J.R., Guan, H.C., Sunahara, R.K., Seeman, P., Niznik, H.B. and Civelli, O. (1991) Cloning of the gene for a human dopamine D4 receptor with high affinity for the antipsychotic clozapine. Nature, 350:610-614
Grandy, D.K., Zhang, Y., Bouvier, C., Zhou, Q.Y., Johnson, R.A., Allen, L., Buck, K., Bunzow, J.R., Salon, J. and Civelli, O. (1991) Multiple human D5 dopamine receptor genes: A functional receptor and two pseudogenes. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA, 88:9175-9179.
Zhou, Q.Y., Li, C., Olah, M.E., Johnson, R.A., Stiles, G.L. and Civelli, O. (1992) Molecular cloning and characterization of an adenosine receptor: The A3 adenosine receptor. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA, 89:7432-7436.
Van Tol, H.H.M., Wu, C.M., Guan, H.C., Ohara, K., Bunzow, J.R., Civelli, O., Kennedy, J., Seeman, P., Niznik, H.B. and Jovanovic, V. (1992) Multiple dopamine D4 receptor variants in the human population. Nature, 358:149-152.
Discovery of novel neuropeptides
Reinscheid, R.K., Nothacker, H.P., Bourson, A., Ardati, A., Henningsen, R. A., Bunzow, J.R., Grandy, D.K., Langen, H., Monsma, F.J. and Civelli, O. (1995) Orphanin FQ: A neuropeptide that activates an opioid-like G protein-coupled receptor. Science, 270:792-794
Jenck, F., Moreau, J.L., Martin, J.R., Kilpatrick, G.J., Reinscheid, R.K., Monsma, F.J., Nothacker, H.P. and Civelli, O (1997) Orphanin FQ acts as an anxiolytic to attenuate behavioral responses to stress. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA, 94:14854-14858.
Saito, Y., Nothacker, H.P., Wang, Z., Lin, S.H.S., Leslie, F. and Civelli, O. (1999) Molecular characterization of the melanin-concentrating-hormone receptor. Nature, 400:265-269.
Nothacker, H.P., Wang, Z., McNeill, A.M., Saito, Y., Merten, S., O’Dowd, B., Duckles, S.P. and Civelli, O. (1999) Identification of the natural ligand of an orphan G-protein-coupled receptor involved in the regulation of vasoconstriction. Nature Cell Biology, 1:383-385.
Xu, Y.L., Reinscheid, R.K., Huitron-Resendiz, S., Clark, S.D., Wang, Z, Lin, S.H., Brucher, F.A., Zeng, J., Ly, N.K, Henriksen, S.J., de Lecea, L., and Civelli, O. (2004). Neuropeptide S: a neuropeptide promoting arousal and anxiolytic-like effects Neuron 43:487-497
Zhang Y, Liu Y, Wu L, Fan C, Wang Z, Zhang X, Alachkar A, Liang X, Civelli O (2018).Receptor-specific crosstalk between prostanoid E receptor 3 and bombesin receptor subtype 3. FASEB J. 2018 Jun;32(6):3184-3192. doi: 10.1096/fj.201700337RR. Epub 2018 Jan 22. PMID:29401613
Studies on the roles of the neuropeptides in brain disorders
Chung, S., Hopf, F.W., Nagasaki, H., Li, C.Y., Belluzzi, J.D., Bonci, A. and Civelli, O. (2009) The melanin-concentrating hormone system modulates cocaine reward. Proceedings National Academy of Sciences, USA 106(16):6772-6777
Nagasaki, H., Chung, S., Dooley, C.T., Wang, Z., Li, C., Saito, Y., Clark, S.D., Houghten, R.A. and Civelli, O. (2009) The pharmacological properties of a novel MCH1 receptor antagonist isolated from combinatorial libraries. European Journal of Pharmacology 602:194-202
Chung, S., Verheij, M.M., Hesseling, P., van Vugt, R.W., Buell, M., Belluzzi, J.D., Geyer, M.A., Martens, G.J. and Civelli O. (2011) The Melanin-Concentrating Hormone (MCH) System Modulates Behaviors Associated with Psychiatric Disorders PLoS One. ;6(7):e19286. Epub 2011 Jul 19.
Alachkar A, Wang L, Yoshimura R, Hamzeh AR, Wang Z, Sanathara N, Lee SM, Xu X, Abbott GW, Civelli O (2017) Prenatal one-carbon metabolism dysregulation programs schizophrenia- like deficits Mol. Psych. Aug 15. doi: 10.1038/mp.2017.164. [Epub ahead of print] PMID:28809400
Reverse pharmaceutical research on traditional medicines
Zhang Y, Xu J, Wang Z, Zhang X, Liang X, Civelli O. (2012) BmK-YA, an enkephalin-like peptide in scorpion venom. PLoS One ;7(7):e40417. Epub 2012 Jul 9.
Zhang Y, Wang C, Wang L, Parks GS, Zhang X, Guo Z, Ke Y, Li KW, Kim MK, Vo B, Borrelli E, Ge G, Yang L, Wang Z, Garcia-Fuster MJ, Luo ZD, Liang X, Civelli O (2014) A Novel Analgesic Isolated from a Traditional Chinese Medicine. Curr Biol. 2014 24 1-7
Alhassen, L., Nuseir, K., Ha, A., Phan, W., Marmouzi, I., Shah, S., Civelli, O. (2021) The Extract of Corydalis yanhusuo Prevents Morphine Tolerance and Dependence. Pharmaceuticals. 14, 1034.