Growth factors, hormones, and neurotransmitters have been implicated in the regulation of
stem cell fate. Since various neural precursors express functional neurotransmitter
receptors, which include G protein-coupled receptors, it is anticipated that they are involved
in cell fate decisions. We detected μ-opioid receptor (MOR-1) and κ-opioid receptor (KOR-1)
expression and immunoreactivity in embryonic stem (ES) cells and in retinoic acid-induced
ES cell-derived, nestin-positive, neural progenitors. Moreover, these G protein-coupled …