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Wei N, Yu Y, Yang Y, Wang XL, Zhong ZJ, Chen XF, Yu YQ. Inhibitions and Down-Regulation of Motor Protein Eg5 Expression in Primary Sensory Neurons Reveal a Novel Therapeutic Target for Pathological Pain. Neurotherapeutics 2022; 19:1401-1413. [PMID: 35764763 PMCID: PMC9587155 DOI: 10.1007/s13311-022-01263-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 10/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The motor protein Eg5, known as kif11 or kinesin-5, interacts with adjacent microtubules in the mitotic spindle and plays essential roles in cell division, yet the function of Eg5 in mature postmitotic neurons remains largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the contribution and molecular mechanism of Eg5 in pathological pain. Pharmacological inhibition of Eg5 and a specific shRNA-expressing viral vector reversed complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA)-induced pain and abrogated vanilloid receptor subtype 1 (VR1) expression in dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons. In the dorsal root, Eg5 inhibition promoted VR1 axonal transport and decreased VR1 expression. In the spinal cord, Eg5 inhibition suppressed VR1 expression in axon terminals and impaired synapse formation in superficial laminae I/II. Finally, we showed that Eg5 is necessary for PI3K/Akt signalling-mediated VR1 membrane trafficking and pathological pain. The present study provides compelling evidence of a noncanonical function of Eg5 in primary sensory neurons. These results suggest that Eg5 may be a potential therapeutic target for intractable pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Na Wei
- Institute for Biomedical Sciences of Pain, Tangdu Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University, 569 Xinsi Road, Baqiao, Xi'an, 710038, China
- Key Laboratory of Brain Stress and Behavior, People's Liberation Army, Xi'an, 710038, China
| | - Yang Yu
- Institute for Biomedical Sciences of Pain, Tangdu Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University, 569 Xinsi Road, Baqiao, Xi'an, 710038, China
- Key Laboratory of Brain Stress and Behavior, People's Liberation Army, Xi'an, 710038, China
| | - Yan Yang
- Institute for Biomedical Sciences of Pain, Tangdu Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University, 569 Xinsi Road, Baqiao, Xi'an, 710038, China
- Key Laboratory of Brain Stress and Behavior, People's Liberation Army, Xi'an, 710038, China
| | - Xiao-Liang Wang
- Institute for Biomedical Sciences of Pain, Tangdu Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University, 569 Xinsi Road, Baqiao, Xi'an, 710038, China
- Key Laboratory of Brain Stress and Behavior, People's Liberation Army, Xi'an, 710038, China
| | - Zhen-Juan Zhong
- Institute for Biomedical Sciences of Pain, Tangdu Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University, 569 Xinsi Road, Baqiao, Xi'an, 710038, China
- Key Laboratory of Brain Stress and Behavior, People's Liberation Army, Xi'an, 710038, China
| | - Xue-Feng Chen
- Institute for Biomedical Sciences of Pain, Tangdu Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University, 569 Xinsi Road, Baqiao, Xi'an, 710038, China
- Key Laboratory of Brain Stress and Behavior, People's Liberation Army, Xi'an, 710038, China
| | - Yao-Qing Yu
- Institute for Biomedical Sciences of Pain, Tangdu Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University, 569 Xinsi Road, Baqiao, Xi'an, 710038, China.
- Key Laboratory of Brain Stress and Behavior, People's Liberation Army, Xi'an, 710038, China.
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