The cannabinoid delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol is the principal psychoactive ingredient of marijuana. The proteins encoded by this gene and the cannabinoid receptor 1 (brain) (CNR1) gene have the characteristics of a guanine nucleotide-binding protein (G-protein)-coupled receptor for cannabinoids. They inhibit adenylate cyclase activity in a dose-dependent, stereoselective, and pertussis toxin-sensitive manner. These proteins have been found to be involved in the cannabinoid-induced CNS effects (including alterations in mood and cognition) experienced by users of marijuana. The cannabinoid receptors are members of family 1 of the G-protein-coupled receptors. [provided by RefSeq, Jul 2008]
Forensic Context
A study in mice demonstrated that the CNR2 is primarily expressed in microglia within the ventral tegmental area and its expression is tied to drug addiction and synaptic plasticity [Fan et al. DOI:10.1016/J.Jgg.2024.08.009]. In human postmortem studies, the CNR2 shows altered expression in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of individuals who died by suicide, with decreased mRNA but increased protein levels and increased CNR2-GPR55 heteromer protein observed [Yamamoto et al. DOI:10.3390/Ijms25115750]. A study in human fetal and adult tissues demonstrated that the CB1 cannabinoid receptor protein and mRNA are identifiable by immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR in long-term formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues, confirming the method's suitability for investigating cannabis toxicity in fetal brain malformations [Blanchot et al. DOI:10.1007/S00414-026-03744-X].