Conserved expression of the opioid growth factor, [Met5]enkephalin, and the zeta (zeta) opioid receptor in vertebrate cornea.

In addition to neuromodulation, endogenous opioids serve as growth factors. The naturally occurring opioid peptide, [Met5]enkephalin, termed opioid growth factor (OGF), has been found to be a potent and tonic inhibitor of processes related to growth and renewal, particularly cell proliferation. OGF mediates its actions through the zeta (zeta) opioid receptor. In order to determine if OGF and/or the zeta receptor are present in human corneal epithelium, immunocytochemistry was utilized. Immunoreactivity with regard to OGF and to the zeta receptor could be detected in the cortical cytoplasm of both basal and suprabasal epithelial cells, but was not associated with the cell nucleus. Investigation of the ubiquity of OGF and zeta receptor in the vertebrate cornea showed that both elements are present in a wide variety of classes of the phylum Chordata, including mammalia, aves, reptilia, amphibia, and osteichthyes. These results suggest that an endogenous opioid system related to growth may have originated as early as 300 million years ago, and that the function of this system in cellular renewal and homeostasis is a requirement of the vertebrate corneal epithelium.