The role of α2A-adrenoceptors (ARs) in spinal opioid antinociception was investigated.
The α2A-AR is necessary for analgesic synergy between clonidine and opioid agonists.
Opioid antinociception is enhanced in α2A-AR-KO mice.
A model of activation state-dependent allosteric modulation is proposed.
The model has implications for allosteric modulation of other G protein-coupled receptor pairs.