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 languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)178-186
Number of pages9
JournalPain
Volume144
Issue number1-2
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 2009

Keywords

  • CCI
  • DRG
  • Formalin test
  • Persistent pain
  • Spinal cord
  • Tyrosine kinase receptor
  • c-kit

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