Abstract
Protein kinase signal transduction pathways play critical roles in regulating nociception. Here we show that c-kit, a tyrosine kinase receptor, is expressed in lamina I and II layer of the dorsal horn. Moreover, the superficial c-kit+ fibers originate from the dorsal root ganglion, and c-kit in lamina II inner layer comes from intrinsic expression of the spinal cord. KitW-v mice, which contain a hypomorphic mutation, exhibited normal acute pain in most pain behavior tests. In the formalin test, the first phase was not affected, whereas the second phase pain response of KitW-v mice was significantly reduced relative to wild-type littermates. KitW-v mice also showed abnormal neuropathic pain, notably in the contralateral side of nerve injury. The expression and release of CGRP and substance P were not altered by the c-kit mutation. Together, these results implicate c-kit-mediated signal transduction in the development of persistent pain.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 178-186 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Pain |
Volume | 144 |
Issue number | 1-2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jul 2009 |
Keywords
- CCI
- DRG
- Formalin test
- Persistent pain
- Spinal cord
- Tyrosine kinase receptor
- c-kit