The chemokines use G protein-coupled receptors to regulate the migratory and proadhesive responses of leukocytes. Based on observations that G protein-coupled receptors undergo heterologous desensitization, we have examined the ability of chemokines to also influence the perception of pain by cross-desensitizing opioid G protein-coupled receptors function in vitro and in vivo. We find that the chemotactic activities of both -and ␦-opioid receptors are desensitized following activation of the chemokine receptors CCR5, CCR2, CCR7, and CXCR4 but not of the CXCR1 or CXCR2 receptors. Furthermore, we also find that pretreatment with RAN-TES͞CCL5, the ligand for CCR1, and CCR5 or SDF-1␣͞CXCL12, the ligand for CXCR4, followed by opioid administration into the periaqueductal gray matter of the brain results in an increased rat tail flick response to a painful stimulus. Because chemokine administration into the periaqueductal gray matter inhibits opioidinduced analgesia, we propose that the activation of proinflammatory chemokine receptors down-regulates the analgesic functions of opioid receptors, and this enhances the perception of pain at inflammatory sites. O pioid and chemokine receptors are members of the G i protein-linked seven-transmembrane receptor family. These receptors, as well as the chemokine and endogenous opioid peptide ligands, are widely distributed in brain tissue and the periphery. Chemokines have been classified into four families: C, CC, CXC, and CX 3 C based on the position of conserved cysteines, and they interact with receptors designated CR1, CCR1-11, CXCR1-5, or CX 3 CR1, respectively (1). Three classes of receptors have been identified for the opioids, designated , , and ␦, and each of the opioid receptor genes expressed in brain tissue and immune cells has been cloned and sequenced (2-7).The -, -, and ␦-opioids are known to have inhibitory effects on both antibody and cellular immune responses (8, 9), natural killer cell activity (10), cytokine expression (11-13), and phagocytic activity (14), which may account for the decreased resistance to infections caused by morphine and heroin administration. Furthermore, pretreatment with opioids, including morphine, heroin, met-enkephalin, the selective -agonist ]enkephalin (DPDPE), leads to the inhibition of the chemotactic response of leukocytes to complement-derived chemotactic factors (15) and to the chemokines macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP-1␣)͞CCL3, regulated on activation normal T cell expressed and secreted (RANTES͞CCL5), monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1)͞ CCL2, and IL-8͞CXCL8 (16). The latter results suggest that the activation of the -and ␦-opioid receptors leads to the desensitization of the CC chemokine receptor 2 (CCR2) and CXC chemokine receptors CXCR1 and CXCR2. In fact, the latter two receptors are phosphorylated by prior administration of opioids. Moreover, the inhibition of CCL3 and CCL5 responses following opioid pretreatment is consistent with the desensitization of either CCR1 or CCR5, or both. This receptor crosstalk r...