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Kader L, Willits AB, Meriano S, Christianson JA, La JH, Feng B, Knight B, Kosova G, Deberry JJ, Coates MD, Hyams JS, Baumbauer KM, Young EE. Identification of Arginine-Vasopressin Receptor 1a (Avpr1a/Avpr1a) as a Novel Candidate Gene for Chronic Visceral Pain Sheds Light on the Potential Role of Enteric Neurons in the Development of Visceral Hypersensitivity. THE JOURNAL OF PAIN 2024; 25:104572. [PMID: 38768798 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpain.2024.104572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2023] [Revised: 05/14/2024] [Accepted: 05/14/2024] [Indexed: 05/22/2024]
Abstract
Chronic abdominal pain in the absence of ongoing disease is the hallmark of disorders of gut-brain interaction (DGBIs), including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). While the etiology of DGBIs remains poorly understood, there is evidence that both genetic and environmental factors play a role. In this study, we report the identification and validation of arginine-vasopressin receptor 1A (Avpr1a) as a novel candidate gene for visceral hypersensitivity (VH), a primary peripheral mechanism underlying abdominal pain in DGBI/IBS. Comparing 2 C57BL/6 (BL/6) substrains (C57BL/6NTac and C57BL/6J) revealed differential susceptibility to the development of chronic VH following intrarectal zymosan instillation, a validated preclinical model for postinflammatory IBS. Using whole-genome sequencing, we identified a single-nucleotide polymorphism differentiating the 2 strains in the 5' intergenic region upstream of Avpr1a, encoding the protein Avpr1a. We used behavioral, histological, and molecular approaches to identify distal colon-specific gene expression and neuronal hyperresponsiveness covarying with Avpr1a genotype and VH susceptibility. While the 2 BL/6 substrains did not differ across other gastrointestinal phenotypes (eg, fecal water retention), VH-susceptible BL/6NTac mice had higher colonic Avpr1a mRNA and protein expression. These results parallel findings that patients' colonic Avpr1a mRNA expression corresponded to higher pain ratings. Moreover, neurons of the enteric nervous system were hyperresponsive to the Avpr1a agonist arginine-vasopressin, suggesting a role for enteric neurons in the pathology underlying VH. Taken together, these findings implicate differential regulation of Avpr1a as a novel mechanism of VH susceptibility as well as a potential therapeutic target specific to VH. PERSPECTIVE: This article presents evidence of Avpr1a as a novel candidate gene for VH in a mouse model of IBS. Avpr1a genotype and/or tissue-specific expression represents a potential biomarker for chronic abdominal pain susceptibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leena Kader
- Department of Anesthesiology, Pain, and Perioperative Medicine, KU Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas; Neuroscience Graduate Program, KU Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas
| | - Adam B Willits
- Department of Anesthesiology, Pain, and Perioperative Medicine, KU Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas; Neuroscience Graduate Program, KU Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas
| | - Sebastian Meriano
- Department of Anesthesiology, Pain, and Perioperative Medicine, KU Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas; Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, KU Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas
| | - Julie A Christianson
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, KU Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas
| | - Jun-Ho La
- Department of Neurobiology, University of University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas
| | - Bin Feng
- Biomedical Engineering Department, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut
| | - Brittany Knight
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, Connecticut
| | - Gulum Kosova
- Division of Statistical Genetics,TenSixteen Bio, Suffolk, Massachusetts
| | - Jennifer J Deberry
- Department of Anesthesiology & Perioperative Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama
| | - Matthew D Coates
- Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania
| | - Jeffrey S Hyams
- Department of Gastroenterology, Connecticut Children's Medical Center, Hartford, Connecticut
| | - Kyle M Baumbauer
- Department of Anesthesiology, Pain, and Perioperative Medicine, KU Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas; Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, KU Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas
| | - Erin E Young
- Department of Anesthesiology, Pain, and Perioperative Medicine, KU Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas; Neuroscience Graduate Program, KU Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas; Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, KU Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas.
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2
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Kader L, Willits A, Meriano S, Christianson JA, La JH, Feng B, Knight B, Kosova G, Deberry J, Coates M, Hyams J, Baumbauer K, Young EE. Identification of arginine-vasopressin receptor 1a (Avpr1a/AVPR1A) as a novel candidate gene for chronic visceral pain. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.12.19.572390. [PMID: 38187732 PMCID: PMC10769202 DOI: 10.1101/2023.12.19.572390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2024]
Abstract
Chronic abdominal pain in the absence of ongoing disease is the hallmark of disorders of gut-brain interaction (DGBIs), including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). While the etiology of DGBIs remains poorly understood, there is evidence that both genetic and environmental factors play a role. In this study, we report the identification and validation of Avpr1a as a novel candidate gene for visceral hypersensitivity (VH), a primary peripheral mechanism underlying abdominal pain in DGBI/IBS. Comparing two C57BL/6 (BL/6) substrains (C57BL/6NTac and C57BL/6J) revealed differential susceptibility to the development of chronic VH following intrarectal zymosan (ZYM) instillation, a validated preclinical model for post-inflammatory IBS. Using whole genome sequencing, we identified a SNP differentiating the two strains in the 5' intergenic region upstream of Avpr1a, encoding the protein arginine-vasopressin receptor 1A (AVPR1A). We used behavioral, histological, and molecular approaches to identify distal colon-specific gene expression differences and neuronal hyperresponsiveness covarying with Avpr1a genotype and VH susceptibility. While the two BL/6 substrains did not differ across other gastrointestinal (GI) phenotypes (e.g., GI motility), VH-susceptible BL/6NTac mice had higher colonic Avpr1a mRNA and protein expression. Moreover, neurons of the enteric nervous system were hyperresponsive to the AVPR1A agonist AVP, suggesting a role for enteric neurons in the pathology underlying VH. These results parallel our findings that patients' colonic Avpr1a mRNA expression was higher in patients with higher pain ratings. Taken together, these findings implicate differential regulation of Avpr1a as a novel mechanism of VH-susceptibility as well as a potential therapeutic target specific to VH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leena Kader
- Department of Anesthesiology, Pain, and Perioperative Medicine, KU Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, United States
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, KU Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, United States
| | - Adam Willits
- Department of Anesthesiology, Pain, and Perioperative Medicine, KU Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, United States
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, KU Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, United States
| | - Sebastian Meriano
- Department of Anesthesiology, Pain, and Perioperative Medicine, KU Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, United States
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, KU Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, United States
| | - Julie A. Christianson
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, KU Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, United States
| | - Jun-Ho La
- Department of Neurobiology, University of University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX
| | - Bin Feng
- Biomedical Engineering Department, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT
| | - Brittany Knight
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT, United States
| | | | - Jennifer Deberry
- Department of Anesthesiology & Perioperative Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States
| | - Matthew Coates
- Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, United States
| | - Jeffrey Hyams
- Department of Gastroenterology, Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, Hartford, CT
| | - Kyle Baumbauer
- Department of Anesthesiology, Pain, and Perioperative Medicine, KU Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, United States
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, KU Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, United States
| | - Erin E. Young
- Department of Anesthesiology, Pain, and Perioperative Medicine, KU Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, United States
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, KU Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, United States
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, KU Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, United States
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Wotton JM, Peterson E, Anderson L, Murray SA, Braun RE, Chesler EJ, White JK, Kumar V. Machine learning-based automated phenotyping of inflammatory nocifensive behavior in mice. Mol Pain 2020; 16:1744806920958596. [PMID: 32955381 PMCID: PMC7509709 DOI: 10.1177/1744806920958596] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The discovery and development of new and potentially nonaddictive pain therapeutics requires rapid, yet clinically relevant assays of nociception in preclinical models. A reliable and scalable automated scoring system for nocifensive behavior of mice in the formalin assay would dramatically lower the time and labor costs associated with experiments and reduce experimental variability. Here, we present a method that exploits machine learning techniques for video recordings that consists of three components: key point detection, per frame feature extraction using these key points, and classification of behavior using the GentleBoost algorithm. This approach to automation is flexible as different model classifiers or key points can be used with only small losses in accuracy. The adopted system identified the behavior of licking/biting of the hind paw with an accuracy that was comparable to a human observer (98% agreement) over 111 different short videos (total 284 min) at a resolution of 1 s. To test the system over longer experimental conditions, the responses of two inbred strains, C57BL/6NJ and C57BL/6J, were recorded over 90 min post formalin challenge. The automated system easily scored over 80 h of video and revealed strain differences in both response timing and amplitude. This machine learning scoring system provides the required accuracy, consistency, and ease of use that could make the formalin assay a feasible choice for large-scale genetic studies.
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Lippmann C, Ultsch A, Lötsch J. Computational functional genomics-based reduction of disease-related gene sets to their key components. Bioinformatics 2020; 35:2362-2370. [PMID: 30500872 DOI: 10.1093/bioinformatics/bty986] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2018] [Revised: 09/05/2018] [Accepted: 11/29/2018] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
MOTIVATION The genetic architecture of diseases becomes increasingly known. This raises difficulties in picking suitable targets for further research among an increasing number of candidates. Although expression based methods of gene set reduction are applied to laboratory-derived genetic data, the analysis of topical sets of genes gathered from knowledge bases requires a modified approach as no quantitative information about gene expression is available. RESULTS We propose a computational functional genomics-based approach at reducing sets of genes to the most relevant items based on the importance of the gene within the polyhierarchy of biological processes characterizing the disease. Knowledge bases about the biological roles of genes can provide a valid description of traits or diseases represented as a directed acyclic graph (DAG) picturing the polyhierarchy of disease relevant biological processes. The proposed method uses a gene importance score derived from the location of the gene-related biological processes in the DAG. It attempts to recreate the DAG and thereby, the roles of the original gene set, with the least number of genes in descending order of importance. This obtained precision and recall of over 70% to recreate the components of the DAG charactering the biological functions of n=540 genes relevant to pain with a subset of only the k=29 best-scoring genes. CONCLUSIONS A new method for reduction of gene sets is shown that is able to reproduce the biological processes in which the full gene set is involved by over 70%; however, by using only ∼5% of the original genes. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION The necessary numerical parameters for the calculation of gene importance are implemented in the R package dbtORA at https://github.com/IME-TMP-FFM/dbtORA. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catharina Lippmann
- Fraunhofer Institute of Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology - Project Group Translational Medicine and Pharmacology (IME-TMP), Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Alfred Ultsch
- DataBionics Research Group, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Jörn Lötsch
- Fraunhofer Institute of Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology - Project Group Translational Medicine and Pharmacology (IME-TMP), Frankfurt am Main, Germany.,Goethe-University, Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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Abstract
The poor translational record of pain research has suggested to some observers that species differences in pain biology might be to blame. In this review, I consider the evidence for species similarity and differences in the pain research literature. Impressive feats of translation have been demonstrated in relation to certain genetic effects, social modulation of pain and pain memory. The degree to which pain biology in rodents predicts pain biology in humans has important implications both for evolutionary accounts of pain, but also the success of analgesic drug development going forward. This article is part of the Theo Murphy meeting issue 'Evolution of mechanisms and behaviour important for pain'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey S Mogil
- Departments of Psychology and Anesthesia, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3A 1B1
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Recla JM, Robledo RF, Gatti DM, Bult CJ, Churchill GA, Chesler EJ. Precise genetic mapping and integrative bioinformatics in Diversity Outbred mice reveals Hydin as a novel pain gene. Mamm Genome 2014; 25:211-22. [PMID: 24700285 PMCID: PMC4032469 DOI: 10.1007/s00335-014-9508-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2014] [Accepted: 03/05/2014] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Mouse genetics is a powerful approach for discovering genes and other genome features influencing human pain sensitivity. Genetic mapping studies have historically been limited by low mapping resolution of conventional mouse crosses, resulting in pain-related quantitative trait loci (QTL) spanning several megabases and containing hundreds of candidate genes. The recently developed Diversity Outbred (DO) population is derived from the same eight inbred founder strains as the Collaborative Cross, including three wild-derived strains. DO mice offer increased genetic heterozygosity and allelic diversity compared to crosses involving standard mouse strains. The high rate of recombinatorial precision afforded by DO mice makes them an ideal resource for high-resolution genetic mapping, allowing the circumvention of costly fine-mapping studies. We utilized a cohort of ~300 DO mice to map a 3.8 Mbp QTL on chromosome 8 associated with acute thermal pain sensitivity, which we have tentatively named Tpnr6. We used haplotype block partitioning to narrow Tpnr6 to a width of ~230 Kbp, reducing the number of putative candidate genes from 44 to 3. The plausibility of each candidate gene's role in pain response was assessed using an integrative bioinformatics approach, combining data related to protein domain, biological annotation, gene expression pattern, and protein functional interaction. Our results reveal a novel, putative role for the protein-coding gene, Hydin, in thermal pain response, possibly through the gene's role in ciliary motility in the choroid plexus-cerebrospinal fluid system of the brain. Real-time quantitative-PCR analysis showed no expression differences in Hydin transcript levels between pain-sensitive and pain-resistant mice, suggesting that Hydin may influence hot-plate behavior through other biological mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jill M Recla
- IGERT Program in Functional Genomics, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and Engineering, The University of Maine, Orono, ME, 04469, USA,
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Cortright DN, Matson DJ, Broom DC. New frontiers in assessing pain and analgesia in laboratory animals. Expert Opin Drug Discov 2013; 3:1099-108. [PMID: 23506182 DOI: 10.1517/17460441.3.9.1099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Translating promising analgesic compounds into reliable pain therapeutics in humans is made particularly challenging by the difficulty in measuring the pain quantitatively. This problem is manifest not only in clinical settings in which patient pain assessments involve mostly subjective measures but also in preclinical settings wherein laboratory animals, most commonly rodents, are typically evaluated in stimulus-evoked response tests. OBJECTIVE Given the limitations of traditional pain tests, we sought out new approaches to measure pain, and analgesia, in laboratory animals. METHODS We reviewed the peer reviewed literature to identify pain tests that could be utilized in preclinical settings to understand the effects of new and established analgesics. RESULTS/CONCLUSIONS The tests identified include weight bearing differential, suppression of feeding, reduction in locomotor activity, gait analysis, conditioning models and functional MRI. Although the pharmacology of known and new analgesics has not been broadly established in these models, they hold the promise of better predictive utility for the discovery of pain relievers.
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Abe K, Fujii Y, Nojima H. Evaluation of hyperalgesia in spared nerve injury model using mechanical, thermal, and chemical stimuli in the mouse. Neurol Res 2012; 33:656-62. [PMID: 21708075 DOI: 10.1179/1743132810y.0000000019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/31/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Neuropathic pain results from multiple etiological factors and is a debilitating condition often resulting from partial injury to a peripheral nerve. However, the mechanism underlying this syndrome remains unclear. The aim of the present study is to investigate whether a spared nerve injury model with transection of both the common peroneal nerve (CPN) and tibial nerve (TN) branches of the sciatic nerve is associated with pain or hypersensitivity in the mouse. METHODS A skin and muscle incision was made, and we tightly ligated CPN+TN or the sural nerve (SN) alone as branches of the sciatic nerve. Mechanical and thermal allodynia were tested using von Frey filaments and radiant heat at -1, 1, 3, 5, and 7 days after surgery. RESULTS The thresholds of mechanical and thermal stimuli were increased and decreased in the CPN+TN-ligated and SN-ligated groups, respectively. Chemical hyperalgesia was estimated using two doses of intraplantar administration of formalin (0.1 and 1%) 1 week after surgery. Then behaviors were videotaped and playback was used to measure time of licking of the hind paws. The licking time induced by 0.1% formalin was significantly shortened in the CPN+TN-ligated group and significantly prolonged in the SN-ligated group. Number of c-Fos-immunoreactive cells in the spinal cord was not affected by CPN+TN ligation, but was significantly increased in the SN-ligated group. DISCUSSION These findings suggest that changing the combination of nerves in sciatic branch ligation produces different sensitivities to stimuli and SN ligation will be useful for inducing allodynia and hyperalgesia in the mouse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenji Abe
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ohu University, Fukushima, Japan
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Dominguez CA, Ström M, Gao T, Zhang L, Olsson T, Wiesenfeld-Hallin Z, Xu XJ, Piehl F. Genetic and sex influence on neuropathic pain-like behaviour after spinal cord injury in the rat. Eur J Pain 2012; 16:1368-77. [PMID: 22473909 DOI: 10.1002/j.1532-2149.2012.00144.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/07/2012] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Chronic pain of neuropathic nature after spinal cord injury (SCI) is common and its underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Genes, as well as sex, have been implicated, but not thoroughly investigated in experimental genetic models for complex traits. We have previously found that inbred Dark-Agouti (DA) rats develop more severe SCI pain-like behaviour than a major histocompatibility complex-congenic Piebald Virol Glaxo (PVG)-RT1(av1) strain in a model of photochemically induced SCI. METHODS In this study, a genome-wide linkage study in an F2 cross between the susceptible DA and resistant PVG-RT1(av1) strains was performed in order to explore the influence of genes and sex for SCI pain. RESULTS A consistent finding was that female rats in parental, F1 and F2 generations displayed increased pain sensitivity at testing before injury and also developed mechanical hypersensitivity more rapidly and to a greater extent than male rats. In addition, we could identify three quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated with pain-like behaviour: a sex-specific QTL on chromosome 2, one on chromosome 15 and on chromosome 6. Animals carrying DA alleles at each of these loci were more susceptible to development of mechanical hypersensitivity compared with rats with PVG alleles. CONCLUSION This is the first whole genome QTL mapping of neuropathic pain-like behaviour in a model of SCI. The results provide strong support for a significant genetic and sex component in development of pain after SCI and provide the basis for further genetic dissection and positional cloning of the underlying genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- C A Dominguez
- Neuroimmunology Unit, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
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Pain sensitivity and vasopressin analgesia are mediated by a gene-sex-environment interaction. Nat Neurosci 2011; 14:1569-73. [PMID: 22019732 PMCID: PMC3225498 DOI: 10.1038/nn.2941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2011] [Accepted: 08/17/2011] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Quantitative trait locus mapping of chemical/inflammatory pain in the mouse identified the Avpr1a gene, encoding the vasopressin-1A receptor (V1AR), as responsible for strain-dependent pain sensitivity to formalin and capsaicin. A genetic association study in humans revealed the influence of a single nucleotide polymorphism (rs10877969) within AVPR1A on capsaicin pain levels, but only in male subjects reporting stress at the time of testing. The analgesic efficacy of the vasopressin analog, desmopressin, revealed a similar interaction between the drug and acute stress, as desmopressin inhibition of capsaicin pain was seen only in non-stressed subjects. Additional experiments in mice confirmed the male-specific interaction of V1AR and stress, leading to the conclusion that vasopressin activates endogenous analgesia mechanisms unless they have already been activated by stress. These findings represent the first explicit demonstration of analgesic efficacy depending on the emotional state of the recipient, and illustrate the heuristic power of a bench-to-bedside-to-bench translational strategy.
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11
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Genomic loci and candidate genes underlying inflammatory nociception. Pain 2010; 152:599-606. [PMID: 21195549 DOI: 10.1016/j.pain.2010.11.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2010] [Revised: 11/16/2010] [Accepted: 11/29/2010] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Heritable genetic factors contribute significantly to inflammatory nociception. To determine candidate genes underlying inflammatory nociception, the current study used a mouse model of abdominal inflammatory pain. BXD recombinant inbred (RI) mouse strains were administered the intraperitoneal acetic acid test, and genome-wide quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping was performed on the mean number of abdominal contraction and extension movements in 3 distinct groups of BXD RI mouse strains in 2 separate experiments. Combined mapping results detected 2 QTLs on chromosomes (Chr) 3 and 10 across experiments and groups of mice; an additional sex-specific QTL was detected on Chr 16. The results replicate previous findings of a significant QTL, Nociq2, on distal Chr 10 for formalin-induced inflammatory nociception and will aid in identification of the underlying candidate genes. Comparisons of sensitivity to intraperitoneal acetic acid in BXD RI mouse strains with microarray mRNA transcript expression profiles in specific brain areas detected covarying expression of candidate genes that are also found in the detected QTL confidence intervals. The results indicate that common and distinct genetic mechanisms underlie heritable sensitivity to diverse inflammatory insults, and provide a discrete set of high-priority candidate genes to investigate further in rodents and human association studies. Novel genomic regions linked to inflammatory nociception were detected, a previously reported locus was confirmed, and high-priority candidate genes for inflammatory nociception and pain were identified.
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12
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Madera-Salcedo IK, Cruz SL, Gonzalez-Espinosa C. Morphine decreases early peritoneal innate immunity responses in Swiss-Webster and C57BL6/J mice through the inhibition of mast cell TNF-α release. J Neuroimmunol 2010; 232:101-7. [PMID: 21087796 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneuroim.2010.10.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2010] [Revised: 10/19/2010] [Accepted: 10/19/2010] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To characterize immunosuppressive effects of morphine on the early innate immunity response of cytokine production in peritoneal cavity after LPS challenge. METHODS The effects of a single i.p. administration of morphine (3.1 or 31 mg/kg) on LPS-induced tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (CCL2) intraperitoneal release was tested in Swiss-Webster, C57BL/6J, mast cell deficient Kit(Wsh/Wsh) (W-sh) and mast cell reconstituted (W-sh-rec) mice. RESULTS Morphine was found to inhibit LPS-induced TNF-α but not CCL2 release in the peritoneal cavity. Studies on mast cell deficient and reconstituted mice indicate that resident mast cells mediate selective morphine immunosuppression in the peritoneal cavity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iris K Madera-Salcedo
- Departamento de Farmacobiologia, Cinvestav, IPN Calzada de los Tenorios 235, Col. Granjas Coapa, Mexico, D.F. 14330, Mexico
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13
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Wijnvoord N, Albuquerque B, Häussler A, Myrczek T, Popp L, Tegeder I. Inter-strain differences of serotonergic inhibitory pain control in inbred mice. Mol Pain 2010; 6:70. [PMID: 20977736 PMCID: PMC2987995 DOI: 10.1186/1744-8069-6-70] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2010] [Accepted: 10/26/2010] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Descending inhibitory pain control contributes to the endogenous defense against chronic pain and involves noradrenergic and serotonergic systems. The clinical efficacy of antidepressants suggests that serotonin may be particularly relevant for neuropathic pain conditions. Serotonergic signaling is regulated by synthesis, metabolisms, reuptake and receptors. RESULTS To address the complexity, we used inbred mouse strains, C57BL/6J, 129 Sv, DBA/2J and Balb/c, which differ in brain serotonin levels. Serotonin analysis after nerve injury revealed inter-strain differences in the adaptation of descending serotonergic fibers. Upregulation of spinal cord and midbrain serotonin was apparent only in 129 Sv mice and was associated with attenuated nerve injury evoked hyperalgesia and allodynia in this strain. The increase of dorsal horn serotonin was blocked by hemisectioning of descending fibers but not by rhizotomy of primary afferents indicating a midbrain source. Para-chlorophenylalanine-mediated serotonin depletion in spinal cord and midbrain intensified pain hypersensitivity in the nerve injury model. In contrast, chronic inflammation of the hindpaw did not evoke equivalent changes in serotonin levels in the spinal cord and midbrain and nociceptive thresholds dropped in a parallel manner in all strains. CONCLUSION The results suggest that chronic nerve injury evoked hypernociception may be contributed by genetic differences of descending serotonergic inhibitory control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nina Wijnvoord
- Pharmazentrum frankfurt, ZAFES, Clinical Pharmacology, Goethe-University, Frankfurt, Germany
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14
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Shields SD, Cavanaugh DJ, Lee H, Anderson DJ, Basbaum AI. Pain behavior in the formalin test persists after ablation of the great majority of C-fiber nociceptors. Pain 2010; 151:422-429. [PMID: 20832171 DOI: 10.1016/j.pain.2010.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 102] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2010] [Revised: 07/31/2010] [Accepted: 08/03/2010] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Although the formalin test is a widely used model of persistent pain, the primary afferent fiber types that underlie the cellular and behavioral responses to formalin injection are largely unknown. Here we used a combined genetic and pharmacological approach to investigate the effect of ablating subsets of primary afferent nociceptors on formalin-induced nocifensive behaviors and spinal cord Fos protein expression. Intrathecal capsaicin-induced ablation of the central terminals of TRPV1+neurons greatly reduced the behavioral responses and Fos elicited by low-dose (0.5%) formalin. In contrast, genetic ablation of the MrgprD-expressing subset of non-peptidergic unmyelinated afferents, which constitute a largely non-overlapping population, altered neither the behavior nor the Fos induced by low-dose formalin. Remarkably, nocifensive behavior following high-dose (2%) formalin was unchanged in mice lacking either afferent population, or even in mice lacking both populations, which together make up the great majority of C-fiber nociceptors. Thus, at high doses, which are routinely used in the formalin test, formalin-induced "pain" behavior persists in the absence of the vast majority of C-fiber nociceptors, which points to a contribution of a large spectrum of afferents secondary to non-specific formalin-induced tissue and nerve damage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shannon D Shields
- Depts of Anatomy and Physiology and WM Keck Foundation Center for Integrative Neuroscience, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA Division of Biology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
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15
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Involvement of the melanocortin-1 receptor in acute pain and pain of inflammatory but not neuropathic origin. PLoS One 2010; 5:e12498. [PMID: 20856883 PMCID: PMC2938350 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0012498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2010] [Accepted: 08/06/2010] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Response to painful stimuli is susceptible to genetic variation. Numerous loci have been identified which contribute to this variation, one of which, MC1R, is better known as a gene involved in mammalian hair colour. MC1R is a G protein-coupled receptor expressed in melanocytes and elsewhere and mice lacking MC1R have yellow hair, whilst humans with variant MC1R protein have red hair. Previous work has found differences in acute pain perception, and response to analgesia in mice and humans with mutations or variants in MC1R. Methodology and Principal Findings We have tested responses to noxious and non-noxious stimuli in mutant mice which lack MC1R, or which overexpress an endogenous antagonist of the receptor, as well as controls. We have also examined the response of these mice to inflammatory pain, assessing the hyperalgesia and allodynia associated with persistent inflammation, and their response to neuropathic pain. Finally we tested by a paired preference paradigm their aversion to oral administration of capsaicin, which activates the noxious heat receptor TRPV1. Female mice lacking MC1R showed increased tolerance to noxious heat and no alteration in their response to non-noxious mechanical stimuli. MC1R mutant females, and females overexpressing the endogenous MC1R antagonist, agouti signalling protein, had a reduced formalin-induced inflammatory pain response, and a delayed development of inflammation-induced hyperalgesia and allodynia. In addition they had a decreased aversion to capsaicin at moderate concentrations. Male mutant mice showed no difference from their respective controls. Mice of either sex did not show any effect of mutant genotype on neuropathic pain. Conclusions We demonstrate a sex-specific role for MC1R in acute noxious thermal responses and pain of inflammatory origin.
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Kim DH, Schwartz CE. The genetics of pain: implications for evaluation and treatment of spinal disease. Spine J 2010; 10:827-40. [PMID: 20615760 DOI: 10.1016/j.spinee.2010.05.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2010] [Revised: 03/07/2010] [Accepted: 05/22/2010] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND CONTEXT Variability in human pain experience appears to be at least partially determined by genetic inheritance. To the extent that awareness of individual pain sensitivity and the tendency to develop chronic pain after injury or surgery would be informative for clinical decision making, development and use of genetic testing for specific pain markers could contribute to improved outcomes in management of spinal disease. PURPOSE To review important and illustrative results from both classical and modern pain genetics studies and to introduce readers to critical definitions and concepts necessary to interpret the growing body of genetics literature relevant to spinal disease. STUDY DESIGN/SETTING Literature review and commentary. METHODS A review was performed of published English language studies in which genetic techniques were used to analyze the molecular basis of nociceptive signaling or processing with a particular emphasis on studies addressing genetic determinants of interindividual variability in pain sensitivity or predisposition to chronic pain. RESULTS There is compelling evidence indicating that interindividual differences in pain sensitivity and the risk of developing chronic pain syndromes are genetically determined. Despite a growing list of putative "pain genes," genetic association studies remain plagued with difficulty replicating initial findings in different cohorts. CONCLUSIONS Genome-wide association studies are potentially powerful means of identifying clinically relevant genetic markers predicting disease susceptibility, severity, and treatment response. However, accurate results require rigorous study design with use of large homogeneous populations and precise phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- David H Kim
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Tufts University Medical School, New England Baptist Hospital, Boston, MA 02120, USA.
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17
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Expression genetics identifies spinal mechanisms supporting formalin late phase behaviors. Mol Pain 2010; 6:11. [PMID: 20149257 PMCID: PMC2831877 DOI: 10.1186/1744-8069-6-11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2009] [Accepted: 02/11/2010] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Formalin injection into rodent hind paws is one of the most commonly employed pain assays. The resulting nocifensive behaviors can be divided into two phases differing in timing, duration and underlying mechanisms. Spinal sensitization has long been felt to participate in the second phase of this response, although this sensitization is incompletely understood. By using correlative analysis between spinal gene expression and mouse strain-dependent intensity of late phase behavior, we hypothesized genes participating in variability of the response could be identified. Results Late phase formalin behavior scores among 10 inbred mouse strains were correlated with a spinal cord gene expression database constructed using expression arrays. Messenger RNA levels for several genes were highly correlated with the late phase behavioral responses. Most of these genes had already been implicated in mechanisms regulating pain and analgesia. One of the most strongly correlated genes, Mapk8 coding for c-Jun N-terminal kinase 1 (JNK1), was chosen for further analysis. Studies using additional strains of mice confirmed that spinal cord mRNA expression levels of Mapk8 followed the pattern predicted by strain-specific levels of formalin behavior. Interestingly, spinal cord JNK1 protein levels displayed an inverse relationship with mRNA measurements. Finally, intrathecal injections of the selective JNK inhibitor, SP600125, selectively reduced late phase licking behavior. Conclusions Wide differences in pain behaviors, including those resulting from the injection of formalin, can be observed in inbred strains of mice suggesting strong genetic influences. Correlating levels of gene expression in tissues established to be mechanistically implicated in the expression of specific behaviors can identify genes involved in the behaviors of interest. Comparing formalin late phase behavior levels with spinal cord gene expression yielded several plausible gene candidates, including the Mapk8 gene. Additional molecular and pharmacologic evidence confirmed a functional role for this gene in supporting formalin late phase responses.
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18
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Abstract
Pain and analgesia traits are heritable in humans and in mice. To better understand the mechanisms of heritability, animal models that provide greater control than is possible in humans over genotype, previous history, environment, and stimulus parameters are available. This chapter will highlight several common methods to study the genetic mechanisms of heritable sensitivity to pain and pain-related traits in rodents. Methods to demonstrate and estimate the heritability of a trait are discussed, as are genetic correlation analysis and linkage mapping. Practical concerns are highlighted throughout this chapter. Due to limitations on the use of humans for similarly powered experiments, these and other animal models remain an essential component in the study of heritable mechanisms of pain and analgesia.
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LaCroix-Fralish ML, Mo G, Smith SB, Sotocinal SG, Ritchie J, Austin JS, Melmed K, Schorscher-Petcu A, Laferriere AC, Lee TH, Romanovsky D, Liao G, Behlke MA, Clark DJ, Peltz G, Séguéla P, Dobretsov M, Mogil JS. The beta3 subunit of the Na+,K+-ATPase mediates variable nociceptive sensitivity in the formalin test. Pain 2009; 144:294-302. [PMID: 19464798 DOI: 10.1016/j.pain.2009.04.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2009] [Revised: 04/09/2009] [Accepted: 04/28/2009] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
It is widely appreciated that there is significant inter-individual variability in pain sensitivity, yet only a handful of contributing genetic variants have been identified. Computational genetic mapping and quantitative trait locus analysis suggested that variation within the gene coding for the beta3 subunit of the Na+,K+-ATPase pump (Atp1b3) contributes to inter-strain differences in the early phase formalin pain behavior. Significant strain differences in Atp1b3 gene expression, beta3 protein expression, and biophysical properties of the Na+,K+ pump in dorsal root ganglia neurons from resistant (A/J) and sensitive (C57BL/6J) mouse strains supported the genetic prediction. Furthermore, in vivo siRNA knockdown of the beta3 subunit produced strain-specific changes in the early phase pain response, completely rescuing the strain difference. These findings indicate that the beta3 subunit of the Na+,K+-ATPase is a novel determinant of nociceptive sensitivity and further supports the notion that pain variability genes can have very selective effects on individual pain modalities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael L LaCroix-Fralish
- Department of Psychology and Centre for Research on Pain, McGill University, 1205 Dr. Penfield Ave., Montreal, Que., Canada H3A 1B1 Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute, and Centre for Research on Pain, McGill University, Montreal, Que., Canada H3A 2B4 Department of Anesthesiology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205, USA Department of Genetics and Genomics, Roche Palo Alto, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA Integrated DNA Technologies Inc., Coralville, IA 52241, USA Department of Anesthesiology, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA Department of Anesthesia, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
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20
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Abstract
Interindividual variability in pain sensitivity and the response to analgesic manipulations remains a considerable clinical challenge as well as an area of intense scientific investigation. Techniques in this field have matured rapidly so that much relevant data have emerged only in the past few years. Our increasing understanding of the genetic mediation of these biological phenomena have nonetheless revealed their surprising complexity. This review provides a comprehensive picture and critical analysis of the field and its prospects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael L Lacroix-Fralish
- Department of Psychology and Center for Research on Pain, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec, H3A1B1 Canada
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21
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Woode E, Boakye-Gya E, Ainooson G, Ansah C, Duwiejua M. Anti-Nociceptive Effects and the Mechanism of Palisota hirsuta K. Schum. Leaf Extract in Murine Models. INT J PHARMACOL 2009. [DOI: 10.3923/ijp.2009.101.113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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22
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Abstract
Pain, which afflicts up to 20% of the population at any time, provides both a massive therapeutic challenge and a route to understanding mechanisms in the nervous system. Specialised sensory neurons (nociceptors) signal the existence of tissue damage to the central nervous system (CNS), where pain is represented in a complex matrix involving many CNS structures. Genetic approaches to investigating pain pathways using model organisms have identified the molecular nature of the transducers, regulatory mechanisms involved in changing neuronal activity, as well as the critical role of immune system cells in driving pain pathways. In man, mapping of human pain mutants as well as twin studies and association studies of altered pain behaviour have identified important regulators of the pain system. In turn, new drug targets for chronic pain treatment have been validated in transgenic mouse studies. Thus, genetic studies of pain pathways have complemented the traditional neuroscience approaches of electrophysiology and pharmacology to give us fresh insights into the molecular basis of pain perception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tom Foulkes
- Department of Stem Cell Biology and Developmental Genetics, National
Institute for Medical Research, London, United Kingdom
| | - John N. Wood
- Molecular Nociception Group, University College London, London, United
Kingdom
- * E-mail:
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23
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Viñuela-Fernández I, Jones E, Welsh EM, Fleetwood-Walker SM. Pain mechanisms and their implication for the management of pain in farm and companion animals. Vet J 2007; 174:227-39. [PMID: 17553712 DOI: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2007.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2006] [Revised: 02/01/2007] [Accepted: 02/01/2007] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Over the last two decades there has been a dramatic increase in the literature relating to the mechanisms and management of pain in domestic animals. Understanding the mechanisms of pain is crucial for its effective management. This review highlights the current understanding of the neurophysiology of nociception and the plastic changes involved in chronic pain states. Additionally, we describe a range of novel molecules and pathways that offer opportunities for the development of mechanism-based analgesic therapies. Pain management in animals is limited by pain assessment which remains highly subjective, with clinicians relying on indirect measures of pain, using rating scales and (less frequently) quantifiable physiological and behavioural parameters. The need for a systematic approach which would assess different pain components is well justified. Species-specific issues on pain assessment and management in mammalian companion and farm animals are addressed in the later part of this review.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ignacio Viñuela-Fernández
- Division of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, Royal School of Veterinary Studies, Summerhall, Edinburgh EH9 1QH, UK
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24
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Mogil JS, Ritchie J, Sotocinal SG, Smith SB, Croteau S, Levitin DJ, Naumova AK. Screening for pain phenotypes: Analysis of three congenic mouse strains on a battery of nine nociceptive assays. Pain 2006; 126:24-34. [PMID: 16842916 DOI: 10.1016/j.pain.2006.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2006] [Revised: 05/24/2006] [Accepted: 06/06/2006] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
In an attempt to identify new genes responsible for variability in pain sensitivity, we tested three congenic mouse strains--in which a small portion of the genome of the MOLF/Ei strain has been placed on a C57BL/6 genetic background--on a battery of nine nociceptive assays, chosen to reflect those assays in most common use in the pain literature. Mice of both sexes were evaluated by two different testers at different points in time, allowing us to examine the relative importance of genotype, sex, tester and cohort effects on data from these assays. We find strong evidence for the existence of two quantitative trait loci (i.e., genomic regions containing variability-causing genes), one for thermal nociception on mouse chromosome (Chr) 17 (Chr 17; Tpnr3) and one for formalin test nociception on mouse Chr 12 (Nociq3). We note, however, that the nociceptive assays in this battery feature strong main effects and interactions of sex, tester, and cohort, which if not controlled or covaried can seriously confound interpretation of genetic experiments, including the comparison of transgenic knockout mice to their wild-type controls.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey S Mogil
- Department of Psychology and Centre for Research on Pain, McGill University, Montreal, Que., Canada.
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25
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Guo LH, Schluesener HJ. Acute but not chronic stimulation of glial cells in rat spinal cord by systemic injection of lipopolysaccharide is associated with hyperalgesia. Acta Neuropathol 2006; 112:703-13. [PMID: 17021756 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-006-0135-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2006] [Revised: 08/18/2006] [Accepted: 08/19/2006] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
We have analyzed development of mechanical hyperalgesia after repeated systemic lipopolysaccharide (LPS) injections and correlated these findings with stimulation of astrocytes and microglia in spinal cord. Male Lewis rats received a single or seven intraperitoneal injections of LPS. Mechanical hyperalgesia was measured as rat hindpaw withdrawal thresholds (PWTs). We observed that a single LPS injection elicited a specific change of PWTs while stimulated spinal glial activation was identified by immunoreactivities of specific markers, ED1, P2X4 receptor, endothelial monocyte activating polypeptide II (EMAP II) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), respectively; multiple LPS treatments induced tolerance to mechanical hyperalgesia, whereas expression of ED1 and GFAP were further increased. In conclusion, we have demonstrated that the number of activated spinal glial cells was increased as an acute effect of LPS correlating with increased sensitivity to mechanical stimulation. However chronic exposure to LPS can develop a tolerance to mechanical hyperalgesia despite ongoing signs of CNS glial activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liang-Hao Guo
- Institute of Brain Research, University of Tuebingen, Calwer Str.3, 72076, Tuebingen, Germany.
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26
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Langford DJ, Crager SE, Shehzad Z, Smith SB, Sotocinal SG, Levenstadt JS, Chanda ML, Levitin DJ, Mogil JS. Social modulation of pain as evidence for empathy in mice. Science 2006; 312:1967-70. [PMID: 16809545 DOI: 10.1126/science.1128322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 524] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Empathy is thought to be unique to higher primates, possibly to humans alone. We report the modulation of pain sensitivity in mice produced solely by exposure to their cagemates, but not to strangers, in pain. Mice tested in dyads and given an identical noxious stimulus displayed increased pain behaviors with statistically greater co-occurrence, effects dependent on visual observation. When familiar mice were given noxious stimuli of different intensities, their pain behavior was influenced by their neighbor's status bidirectionally. Finally, observation of a cagemate in pain altered pain sensitivity of an entirely different modality, suggesting that nociceptive mechanisms in general are sensitized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dale J Langford
- Department of Psychology and Centre for Research on Pain, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 1B1, Canada
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27
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Green AD, Young KK, Lehto SG, Smith SB, Mogil JS. Influence of genotype, dose and sex on pruritogen-induced scratching behavior in the mouse. Pain 2006; 124:50-8. [PMID: 16697529 DOI: 10.1016/j.pain.2006.03.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2005] [Revised: 01/30/2006] [Accepted: 03/20/2006] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Itch features considerable interindividual variability in humans, and initial studies using animal models have demonstrated a likely role of genetic factors in mediating such variability. In an attempt to systematically study genetic mediation of itch in the mouse such that gene identification by linkage mapping might be achieved, we examined scratching behavior induced by histamine and chloroquine in mice of 11 inbred mouse strains. Multiple chloroquine drug doses were used, revealing the existence of inverted-U dose-response relationships in every strain, allowing us to determine strain-dependent peak scratching behavior over the entire dose range. Peak chloroquine-induced scratching varied by 2.5-fold in this set of strains; scratching behavior shows moderate heritability in the mouse. The present data also reveal, for the first time, significant sex differences in pruritogen-induced scratching behavior, with female mice scratching an average of 23% more than males. Finally, a comparison of the strain means obtained here with previously collected data using nociceptive assays revealed a suggestive negative genetic correlation between chloroquine-induced itch and thermal pain, such that strains sensitive to pain are resistant to itch and vice versa. This finding may have implications both for our understanding of itch pathophysiology and for the identification of itch-related genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda D Green
- Department of Psychology and Centre for Research on Pain, McGill University, Montreal, Que., Canada H3A 1B1
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28
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Bourquin AF, Süveges M, Pertin M, Gilliard N, Sardy S, Davison AC, Spahn DR, Decosterd I. Assessment and analysis of mechanical allodynia-like behavior induced by spared nerve injury (SNI) in the mouse. Pain 2006; 122:14.e1-14. [PMID: 16542774 DOI: 10.1016/j.pain.2005.10.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 219] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2005] [Revised: 09/05/2005] [Accepted: 10/24/2005] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Experimental models of peripheral nerve injury have been developed to study mechanisms of neuropathic pain. In the spared nerve injury (SNI) model in rats, the common peroneal and tibial nerves are injured, producing consistent and reproducible pain hypersensitivity in the territory of the spared sural nerve. In this study, we investigated whether SNI in mice is also a valid model system for neuropathic pain. SNI results in a significant decrease in withdrawal threshold in SNI-operated mice. The effect is very consistent between animals and persists for the four weeks of the study. We also determined the relative frequency of paw withdrawal for each of a series of 11 von Frey hairs. Analysis of response frequency using a mixed-effects model that integrates all variables (nerve injury, paw, gender, and time) shows a very stable effect of SNI over time and also reveals subtle divergences between variables, including gender-based differences in mechanical sensitivity. We tested two variants of the SNI model and found that injuring the tibial nerve alone induces mechanical hypersensitivity, while injuring the common peroneal and sural nerves together does not induce any significant increase in mechanical sensitivity in the territory of the spared tibial nerve. SNI induces a mechanical allodynia-like response in mice and we believe that our improved method of assessment and data analysis will reveal additional internal and external variability factors in models of persistent pain. Use of this model in genetically altered mice should be very effective for determining the mechanisms involved in neuropathic pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne-Frédérique Bourquin
- Anesthesiology Pain Research Group, Department of Anesthesiology, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), CH-1011 Lausanne, Switzerland
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29
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Liang DY, Guo T, Liao G, Kingery WS, Peltz G, Clark DJ. Chronic pain and genetic background interact and influence opioid analgesia, tolerance, and physical dependence. Pain 2006; 121:232-240. [PMID: 16516386 DOI: 10.1016/j.pain.2005.12.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2005] [Revised: 11/21/2005] [Accepted: 12/21/2005] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Opioids are commonly used in the treatment of moderate to severe pain. However, their chronic use is limited by analgesic tolerance and physical dependence. Few studies have examined how chronic pain affects the development of tolerance or dependence, and essentially no studies have looked at the role of both genetics and pain together. For these studies we used 12 strains of inbred mice. Groups of mice from each strain were tested at baseline for morphine analgesic sensitivity, mechanical nociceptive threshold, and thermal nociceptive threshold. Mice were then given morphine in a 4-day escalating morphine administration paradigm followed by reassessment of the morphine dose-response relationship. Finally, physical dependence was measured by administering naloxone. Parallel groups of mice underwent hind paw injection of complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) to induce chronic hind paw inflammation 7 days prior to the beginning of testing. The data showed that CFA treatment tended to lower baseline ED(50) values for morphine and enhanced the degree of analgesic tolerance observed after 4 days of morphine treatment. In addition, the degree of jumping behavior indicative of physical dependence was often altered if mice had been treated with CFA. The influence of background strain was substantial for all traits measured. In silico haplotypic mapping of the tolerance and physical dependence data demonstrated that CFA pretreatment altered the pattern of the predicted associations and greatly reduced their statistical significance. We conclude that chronic inflammatory pain and genetics interact to modulate the analgesic potency of morphine, tolerance, and physical dependence.
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Affiliation(s)
- De-Yong Liang
- Department of Anesthesia, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Healthcare System, Palo Alto, CA, USA Roche Palo Alto, Palo Alto, CA, USA
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30
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Smith SB, Crager SE, Mogil JS. Paclitaxel-induced neuropathic hypersensitivity in mice: Responses in 10 inbred mouse strains. Life Sci 2004; 74:2593-604. [PMID: 15041441 DOI: 10.1016/j.lfs.2004.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 108] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Mechanical allodynia, or hypersensitivity to tactile stimuli, is a frequent clinical symptom of neuropathy. Large interindividual differences have been observed in neuropathic pain, both in susceptibility to its development and in its severity. Identification of genetic factors relevant to this variability would be of obvious utility. Although many animal models of neuropathic pain following peripheral nerve injury have been developed, most involve intricate surgeries and are thus poorly suited for large-scale linkage mapping investigations in the mouse. Recently, a schedule of intraperitoneal injections of the chemotherapeutic agent, paclitaxel (Taxol(R)), has been shown to produce a long-lasting, bilateral neuropathy in the rat, featuring hypersensitivity to mechanical, thermal and cold stimuli. We present here a survey of the responses of 10 inbred mouse strains to paclitaxel injections. Virtually all strains developed statistically significant mechanical allodynia, with one strain, DBA/2J, exhibiting especially robust changes. Strain sensitivities to paclitaxel-induced mechanical allodynia were similar to those obtained previously using a surgical model of neuropathic pain, supporting our contention that genetic sensitivity to mechanical allodynia is independent of the precise mode of induction. Using sensitive DBA/2 mice and a resistant strain, C57BL/6J, for comparison, we further characterized the paclitaxel model in mice by examining cold allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia. Both strains displayed equivalent cold allodynia but neither strain developed thermal hyperalgesia. The present data confirm a genetic component in mechanical allodynia using this model, while dissociating mechanical hypersensitivity from other pain modalities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shad B Smith
- Department of Psychology Centre for Research on Pain, McGill University, 1205 Dr. Penfield Ave., Montreal QC, Canada H3A 1B1
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31
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Zhang RX, Lao L, Qiao JT, Ruda MA. Strain differences in pain sensitivity and expression of preprodynorphin mRNA in rats following peripheral inflammation. Neurosci Lett 2003; 353:213-6. [PMID: 14665419 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2003.09.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The experience of pain is highly variable among individuals, which may be due in part to the effects of genetic factors on the central transmission and modulation of noxious inputs. This study examined behavioral responses and the expression of preprodynorphin (PPD) mRNA at the spinal level during complete Freund's adjuvant-induced inflammation of the unilateral hind paw in male Fischer 344 (F344), Sprague-Dawley (SD), and Lewis (LEW) rats. Experiments showed that F344 rats exhibited stronger hind paw hyperalgesia and greater spinal PPD mRNA induction than SD or LEW rats. These results indicate that genetic factors that determine the spinal PPD mRNA and dynorphin production underlie strain-dependent differences in pain perception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui-Xin Zhang
- Center for Integrative Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA.
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Furuse T, Miura Y, Yagasaki K, Shiroishi T, Koide T. Identification of QTLs for differential capsaicin sensitivity between mouse strains KJR and C57BL/6. Pain 2003; 105:169-75. [PMID: 14499433 DOI: 10.1016/s0304-3959(03)00178-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Capsaicin (8-methyl-N-vanillyl-6-nonenamide) is the main compound of hot chili peppers that causes both a pungent sensation and physiological pain. Capsaicin activates vanilloid receptor 1, a multi-functional receptor for pain sensation. In our previous report, it was found that sensitivity for capsaicin varies among mouse strains. In the present study, we conducted a quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis to characterize the genetic loci involved in the different sensitivities to capsaicin between C57BL/6 and KJR mouse strains. In the study, we generated F2 progeny from the intercross of F1 mice obtained from a cross of C57BL/6 and KJR. We applied a fluid intake test of a capsaicin solution to the F2 progeny and conducted a QTL analysis. In this mapping study, four QTLs for capsaicin sensitivity were detected. Each of these loci contributed to 18.7-27.87% of strain difference of capsaicin consumption between C57BL/6 and KJR at each concentration. Because the sensation for capsaicin is associated with perception of pain, this genetic study on different capsaicin sensitivities will help future analyses of endogenous analgesic pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamio Furuse
- Mouse Genomics Resource Laboratory, National Institute of Genetics, 1111 Yata, Shizuoka-ken Mishima 411-8540, Japan
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Abstract
This paper is the twenty-fifth consecutive installment of the annual review of research concerning the endogenous opioid system, now spanning over a quarter-century of research. It summarizes papers published during 2002 that studied the behavioral effects of molecular, pharmacological and genetic manipulation of opioid peptides, opioid receptors, opioid agonists and opioid antagonists. The particular topics that continue to be covered include the molecular-biochemical effects and neurochemical localization studies of endogenous opioids and their receptors related to behavior (Section 2), and the roles of these opioid peptides and receptors in pain and analgesia (Section 3); stress and social status (Section 4); tolerance and dependence (Section 5); learning and memory (Section 6); eating and drinking (Section 7); alcohol and drugs of abuse (Section 8); sexual activity and hormones, pregnancy, development and endocrinology (Section 9); mental illness and mood (Section 10); seizures and neurologic disorders (Section 11); electrical-related activity and neurophysiology (Section 12); general activity and locomotion (Section 13); gastrointestinal, renal and hepatic functions (Section 14); cardiovascular responses (Section 15); respiration and thermoregulation (Section 16); and immunological responses (Section 17).
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard J Bodnar
- Department of Psychology and Neuropsychology Doctoral Sub-Program, Queens College, City University of New York, CUNY, 65-30 Kissena Blvd., Flushing, NY 11367, USA.
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Lariviere WR, Wilson SG, Laughlin TM, Kokayeff A, West EE, Adhikari SM, Wan Y, Mogil JS. Heritability of nociception. III. Genetic relationships among commonly used assays of nociception and hypersensitivity. Pain 2002; 97:75-86. [PMID: 12031781 DOI: 10.1016/s0304-3959(01)00492-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 155] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
We and others have previously demonstrated that nociception in the mouse is heritable. A genetic correlation analysis of 12 common measures of nociception among a common set of inbred strains revealed three major clusters (or 'types') of nociception in this species. In the present study, we re-evaluated the major types of nociception and their interrelatedness using ten additional assays of nociception and hypersensitivity, including: three thermal assays (tail withdrawal from 47.5 degrees C water or -15 degrees C ethanol; tail flick from radiant heat), two chemical assays of spontaneous nociception (bee venom test; capsaicin test) and their subsequent thermal hypersensitivity states (including contralateral hypersensitivity in the bee venom test), a mechanical nociceptive assay (tail-clip test), and a mechanical hypersensitivity assay (intrathecal dynorphin). Confirming our earlier findings, the results demonstrate distinct thermal and chemical nociceptive types. It is now clear that mechanical hypersensitivity and thermal hypersensitivity are genetically dissociable phenomena. Furthermore, we now see at least two distinct types of thermal hypersensitivity: afferent-dependent, featuring a preceding significant period of spontaneous nociceptive behavior associated with afferent neural activity, and non-afferent-dependent. In conclusion, our latest analysis suggests that there are at least five fundamental types of nociception and hypersensitivity: (1) baseline thermal nociception; (2) spontaneous responses to noxious chemical stimuli; (3) thermal hypersensitivity; (4) mechanical hypersensitivity; and (5) afferent input-dependent hypersensitivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- William R Lariviere
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL 61820, USA
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