We have shown previously that repair in the peripheral nervous system is associated with a reversion to an embryonic pattern of alternative splicing of the extracellular matrix molecule fibronectin. One of the consequent changes is a relative increase in the number of fibronectins expressing the binding site for alpha4 integrins. Here we show that alpha4 integrins are expressed on dorsal root g...

Neuronal damage in the somatosensory system causes intractable chronic neuropathic pain. Plastic changes in sensory neuron excitability are considered the cellular basis of persistent pain. Non-coding microRNAs modulate specific gene translation to impact on diverse cellular functions and their dysregulation causes various diseases. However, their significance in adult neuronal functions and di...

Neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) is a key enzyme for nitric oxide production in neuronal tissues and contributes to the spinal central sensitization in inflammatory pain. However, the role of nNOS in neuropathic pain remains unclear. The present study combined a genetic strategy with a pharmacologic approach to examine the effects of genetic knockout and pharmacologic inhibition of nNOS on...

After infection of skin or mucosa, herpes simplex virus enters the sensory nerve endings and is conveyed by retrograde axonal transport to the dorsal root ganglion, where the virus develops lifelong latency. Intermittent reactivation, which is spontaneous in humans, leads to anterograde transport of virus particles and proteins to the skin or mucosa, where the virus is shed and/or causes diseas...

Several thermosensitive transient receptor potential channels (transient receptor potential vanilloid type-1, -3; transient receptor potential cation channel, subfamily A, member 1) have been implicated in itch. In contrast, the role of transient receptor potential vanilloid type-4 (TRPV4) in itch is unknown. Therefore, we investigated if TRPV4, a temperature-sensitive cation channel, plays an ...

The role of neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) in early development of the dorsal root ganglion was investigated. Excessive cell death in the dorsal root ganglion of mice that carry a deleted NT-3 gene (NT-3-/- mice) preceded the period of programmed cell death, detected by the TUNEL method, and caused a reduction in the number of proliferating precursors without altering the proportion of proliferating cel...

BACKGROUND Diabetic neuropathy is a complication of diabetes mellitus that develops in about 50% of people with diabetes. Despite its widespread occurrence and devastating effects, this complication is still not fully understood, and there is no treatment available to prevent its development. METHODS In this study, immunocytochemistry for activating transcription factor 3, a marker for cell i...

Gentle touch such as stroking of the skin produces a pleasant feeling, which is detected by rare subset sensory neurons that express Mas-related G protein-coupled receptor B4 (MrgprB4) in mice. We examined small populations MrgprB4-positive trigeminal ganglion and dorsal root ganglion, most these were sensitive to transient potential ankyrin 1 (TRPA1) agonist but not TRPV1, TRPM8, or TRPV4 agon...

AIM The localization of CB1 receptors in the spinal cord, spinal roots, dorsal root ganglion (DRG), and peripheral nerve of the rat was determined. METHODS We studied the distribution of CB1 cannabinoid receptors by immunohistochemistry using an antibody raised against the N-terminal of the receptor. RESULTS The spinal cord showed numerous transverse fibers labelled for CB1 receptors throug...

Platinum compounds induce apoptosis in malignant cells and are used extensively in the treatment of cancer. Total dose is limited by development of a sensory neuropathy. We now demonstrate that when rats are administered cisplatin (2 mg/kg i.p. for 5 d), primary sensory neurons in the dorsal root ganglion die by apoptosis. This was reproduced by exposure of dorsal root ganglion neurons and PC12...