Project description:Chronic pain is a persistent unpleasant sensation that produces pathological synaptic plasticity in the central nervous system. Some of the studies demonstrate that the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is a critical area for nociceptive and chronic pain processing. Our previous study revealed that animal models of chronic pain alter excitatory and inhibitory synaptic transmission in the ACC. However, it is not clear what molecules are involved in the alterations of synaptic plasticity in the ACC of chronic pain models. To identify genes with altered expression in the ACC of a chronic pain model, whole transcriptome analysis were performed. In addition to the ACC, whole transcriptome analysis was also performed in the hippocampus, a brain region that has not been reported to be associated with chronic pain. Complete freund's adjuvant (CFA, Sigma-Aldrich, #F5881) into the left hind paw was used for induce chronic inflammatory pain in this study.
Project description:There is an imminent need for safe and efficient chronic pain medications. Regulator of G-protein signaling 4 (RGS4) is a multi-functional signal transduction protein, widely expressed in the pain matrix. Here, we demonstrate that RGS4 plays a prominentrole in the maintenance of chronic pain symptoms in male and female mice. Using genetically modified mice, we show a dynamicrole of RGS4 in recovery from symptoms of sensory hypersensitivity deriving from hindpaw inflammation or hindlimb nerveinjury. We also demonstrate an important role of RGS4 actions in gene expression patterns induced by chronic pain states in themouse thalamus. Our findings provide novel insight into mechanisms associated with the maintenance of chronic pain states anddemonstrate that interventions in RGS4 activity promote recovery from sensory hypersensitivity symptoms.
Project description:Distinct types of dorsal root ganglion sensory neurons may have unique contributions to chronic pain. Identification of primate sensory neuron types is critical for understanding the cellular origin and heritability of chronic pain. However, molecular insights into the primate sensory neurons are missing. Here we classify non-human primate dorsal root ganglion sensory neurons based on their transcriptome and map human pain heritability to neuronal types. First, we identified cell correlates between two major datasets for mouse sensory neuron types. Machine learning exposes an overall cross-species conservation of somatosensory neurons between primate and mouse, although with differences at individual gene level, highlighting the importance of primate data for clinical translation. We map genomic loci associated with chronic pain in human onto primate sensory neuron types to identify the cellular origin of chronic pain. Genome-wide associations for chronic pain converge on two different neuronal types distributed between pain disorders that display different genetic susceptibilities, suggesting both unique and shared mechanisms between different pain conditions.
Project description:Distinct types of dorsal root ganglion sensory neurons may have unique contributions to chronic pain. Identification of primate sensory neuron types is critical for understanding the cellular origin and heritability of chronic pain. However, molecular insights into the primate sensory neurons are missing. Here we classify non-human primate dorsal root ganglion sensory neurons based on their transcriptome and map human pain heritability to neuronal types. First, we identified cell correlates between two major datasets for mouse sensory neuron types. Machine learning exposes an overall cross-species conservation of somatosensory neurons between primate and mouse, although with differences at individual gene level, highlighting the importance of primate data for clinical translation. We map genomic loci associated with chronic pain in human onto primate sensory neuron types to identify the cellular origin of chronic pain. Genome-wide associations for chronic pain converge on two different neuronal types distributed between pain disorders that display different genetic susceptibilities, suggesting both unique and shared mechanisms between different pain conditions.
Project description:Molecular characterization of the individual neuron types existing in the primate dorsal root ganglion and the relation to model organisms used for studying somatosensation and pain is critical for understanding the cellular origin of chronic pain and for translational aspects of biomedical research. However, molecular insights into the primate dorsal root ganglion are missing and a systematic comparison of strategies for somatosensation between the mouse and primates is lacking. Here we classify non-human primate sensory neurons based on their transcriptome and identify neuronal types with heritability to chronic pain. We identify nine neuronal types and use machine learning to expose an overall cross-species conserved strategy and shared taxonomy for nociception, although with differences at individual gene level, highlighting the importance of incorporating primate knowledge for the successful translation of discoveries in rodent model organisms. Genomic loci implicated in chronic pain were mapped onto specific primate sensory neuron types to identify the cellular origin of chronic pain. The common-variant genome-wide association results for chronic pain point to the same cells at the same pain sites and concentrate on two different neuronal types between pain disorders, suggesting that causative cell types and molecular mechanisms are different between different pain conditions.
Project description:We used transcriptome-wide data to investigate the molecular pathophysiological mechanisms in peripheral blood immune cells at the transcriptome-wide level that underlie the transition of acute to chronic low back pain.
Project description:Purpose: In this study, we aimed to analyze lncRNA expression in the whole transcriptome of trigeminal ganglia (TG) and spinal trigeminal nucleus caudalis (Sp5C) in a chronic inflammatory TMJ pain mouse model. Chronic inflammatory TMJ pain was induced by intra-TMJ injection of complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA). The lncRNA expression patterns in the whole transcriptome of TG and Sp5C were profiled with RNA sequencing.
Project description:Chronic postsurgical pain (CPSP), with a high prevalence and rising epidemic of opioids crisis, is typically derived from acute postoperative pain. Revealing the peripheral mechanisms behind the transition from acute to chronic pain after surgery is necessary. We established on two recognized animal models, the Lateral Paw Incision (LPI) model and the Skin/Muscle Incision and Retraction (SMIR) model, in simulation of acute and chronic postsurgical pain. The tissue of incisional skin, muscle and DRG at several time points are harvested and send for next-generation RNA sequencing (RNA-seq). Then the quality of sequencing results is validated. Our data could explain the time-course transcriptomic variation in the tissue of skin, muscle and DRG, and further to identify the potential origin and mechanism of CPSP.
Project description:Nociceptive pain implies the activation of the nociceptors without damage to the somatosensory nervous system. Neuropathic pain implies an injury or a disease of the central or peripheral nervous system. Epigenomic may participate in chronic pain conditions as well as in the transition from acute to chronic pain. The purpose of the present study is to analyze how blood methylome differs in both mentionned types of chronic pain, by comparing them together and to controls. The study protocol was approved by the local ethic committee (CCVEM 034/12) and was conducted according to the recommendation of the Declaration of Helsinki. Patients were enrolled at the Clinique romande de réadaptation (CRR) in Sion, in Switzerland. Data were hosted and analyzed at the University of Geneva, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Genetic Medicine and Development, in Switzerland. Data were processed in the high performance computing cluster (HPC) nammed "Baobab" in the Geneva University.