INTRODUCTION: The consumption of marijuana (exogenous cannabinoid) almost 
doubled in adults during last decade. Consumption of exogenous cannabinoids 
interferes with the endogenous cannabinoid (or "endocannabinoid" (eCB)) system 
(ECS), which comprises N-arachidonylethanolamide (anandamide, AEA), 
2-arachidonoyl glycerol (2-AG), endocannabinoid receptors (cannabinoid receptors 
1 and 2 (CB1R and CB2R), encoded by CNR1 and CNR2, respectively), and 
synthesizing/degrading enzymes (FAAH, fatty-acid amide hydrolase; MAGL, 
monoacylglycerol lipase; DAGL-α, diacylglycerol lipase-alpha). Reports regarding 
the toxic and therapeutic effects of pharmacological compounds targeting the ECS 
are sometimes contradictory. This may be caused by the fact that structure of 
the eCBs varies in the species studied.
OBJECTIVES: First: to clone and characterize the cDNAs of selected members of 
ECS in a non-human primate (baboon, Papio spp.), and second: to compare those 
cDNA sequences to known human structural variants (single nucleotide 
polymorphisms and haplotypes).
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Polymerase chain reaction-amplified gene products from 
baboon tissues were transformed into Escherichia coli. Amplicon-positive clones 
were sequenced, and the obtained sequences were conceptually translated into 
amino-acid sequences using the genetic code.
RESULTS: Among the ECS members, CNR1 was the best conserved gene between humans 
and baboons. The phenotypes associated with mutations in the untranslated 
regions of this gene in humans have not been described in baboons. One 
difference in the structure of CNR2 between humans and baboons was detected in 
the region with the only known clinically relevant polymorphism in a human 
receptor. All of the differences in the amino-acid structure of DAGL-α between 
humans and baboons were located in the hydroxylase domain, close to 
phosphorylation sites. None of the differences in the amino-acid structure of 
MAGL observed between baboons and humans were located in the area critical for 
enzyme function.
CONCLUSION: The evaluation of the data, obtained in non-human primate model of 
cannabis-related developmental exposure should take into consideration possible 
evolutionary-determined species-specific differences in the CB1R expression, 
CB2R transduction pathway, and FAAH and DAGLα substrate-enzyme interactions.