Increased response to glutamate in small diameter dorsal root ganglion neurons after sciatic nerve injury.

Glutamate in the peripheral nervous system is involved in neuropathic pain, yet we know little how nerve injury alters responses to this neurotransmitter in primary sensory neurons. We recorded neuronal responses from the ex-vivo preparations of the dorsal root ganglia (DRG) one week following a chr...

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Main Authors: Kerui Gong, Ling-Hsuan Kung, Giulia Magni, Aditi Bhargava, Luc Jasmin
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2014-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3991716?pdf=render
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author Kerui Gong
Ling-Hsuan Kung
Giulia Magni
Aditi Bhargava
Luc Jasmin
author_facet Kerui Gong
Ling-Hsuan Kung
Giulia Magni
Aditi Bhargava
Luc Jasmin
author_sort Kerui Gong
collection DOAJ
description Glutamate in the peripheral nervous system is involved in neuropathic pain, yet we know little how nerve injury alters responses to this neurotransmitter in primary sensory neurons. We recorded neuronal responses from the ex-vivo preparations of the dorsal root ganglia (DRG) one week following a chronic constriction injury (CCI) of the sciatic nerve in adult rats. We found that small diameter DRG neurons (<30 µm) exhibited increased excitability that was associated with decreased membrane threshold and rheobase, whereas responses in large diameter neurons (>30 µm) were unaffected. Puff application of either glutamate, or the selective ionotropic glutamate receptor agonists alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) and kainic acid (KA), or the group I metabotropic receptor (mGluR) agonist (S)-3,5-dihydroxyphenylglycine (DHPG), induced larger inward currents in CCI DRGs compared to those from uninjured rats. N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-induced currents were unchanged. In addition to larger inward currents following CCI, a greater number of neurons responded to glutamate, AMPA, NMDA, and DHPG, but not to KA. Western blot analysis of the DRGs revealed that CCI resulted in a 35% increase in GluA1 and a 60% decrease in GluA2, the AMPA receptor subunits, compared to uninjured controls. mGluR1 receptor expression increased by 60% in the membrane fraction, whereas mGluR5 receptor subunit expression remained unchanged after CCI. These results show that following nerve injury, small diameter DRG neurons, many of which are nociceptive, have increased excitability and an increased response to glutamate that is associated with changes in receptor expression at the neuronal membrane. Our findings provide further evidence that glutamatergic transmission in the periphery plays a role in nociception.
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spelling doaj.art-3a9b97444ab14d099caa5af09bedb2a32022-12-22T01:39:16ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032014-01-0194e9549110.1371/journal.pone.0095491Increased response to glutamate in small diameter dorsal root ganglion neurons after sciatic nerve injury.Kerui GongLing-Hsuan KungGiulia MagniAditi BhargavaLuc JasminGlutamate in the peripheral nervous system is involved in neuropathic pain, yet we know little how nerve injury alters responses to this neurotransmitter in primary sensory neurons. We recorded neuronal responses from the ex-vivo preparations of the dorsal root ganglia (DRG) one week following a chronic constriction injury (CCI) of the sciatic nerve in adult rats. We found that small diameter DRG neurons (<30 µm) exhibited increased excitability that was associated with decreased membrane threshold and rheobase, whereas responses in large diameter neurons (>30 µm) were unaffected. Puff application of either glutamate, or the selective ionotropic glutamate receptor agonists alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) and kainic acid (KA), or the group I metabotropic receptor (mGluR) agonist (S)-3,5-dihydroxyphenylglycine (DHPG), induced larger inward currents in CCI DRGs compared to those from uninjured rats. N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-induced currents were unchanged. In addition to larger inward currents following CCI, a greater number of neurons responded to glutamate, AMPA, NMDA, and DHPG, but not to KA. Western blot analysis of the DRGs revealed that CCI resulted in a 35% increase in GluA1 and a 60% decrease in GluA2, the AMPA receptor subunits, compared to uninjured controls. mGluR1 receptor expression increased by 60% in the membrane fraction, whereas mGluR5 receptor subunit expression remained unchanged after CCI. These results show that following nerve injury, small diameter DRG neurons, many of which are nociceptive, have increased excitability and an increased response to glutamate that is associated with changes in receptor expression at the neuronal membrane. Our findings provide further evidence that glutamatergic transmission in the periphery plays a role in nociception.http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3991716?pdf=render
spellingShingle Kerui Gong
Ling-Hsuan Kung
Giulia Magni
Aditi Bhargava
Luc Jasmin
Increased response to glutamate in small diameter dorsal root ganglion neurons after sciatic nerve injury.
PLoS ONE
title Increased response to glutamate in small diameter dorsal root ganglion neurons after sciatic nerve injury.
title_full Increased response to glutamate in small diameter dorsal root ganglion neurons after sciatic nerve injury.
title_fullStr Increased response to glutamate in small diameter dorsal root ganglion neurons after sciatic nerve injury.
title_full_unstemmed Increased response to glutamate in small diameter dorsal root ganglion neurons after sciatic nerve injury.
title_short Increased response to glutamate in small diameter dorsal root ganglion neurons after sciatic nerve injury.
title_sort increased response to glutamate in small diameter dorsal root ganglion neurons after sciatic nerve injury
url http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3991716?pdf=render
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AT aditibhargava increasedresponsetoglutamateinsmalldiameterdorsalrootganglionneuronsaftersciaticnerveinjury
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