Cloning of new genes related to chronic pain stress

2005 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 16591168
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Psychiatric science
• Research Institution: Nippon Medical School
• Principal Investigator: IMAKI Toshihiro Nippon Medical School, Institute of Gerontology, Assoc.Professor, 老人病研究所, 助教授 (50183190)
• Project Period (FY): 2004 – 2005
• Keywords: chronic pain / hupothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis / chronic stress / depression

Research Abstract

Dysfunction of the hypothalamo-piuitary-adrenal axis is implicated in a variety of chronic pain conditions. Pain is an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage. However, the contribution of chronic or sustained stress to HPA axis regulation and their mechanisms remain unclear.
In this study, we used painful sciatic nerve injury as a model of chronic neuropathic pain to determined the key molecules related to chronic pain/stress.
Four weeks after surgery, the rat brain was obtained by decapitation. The hypothalamus was dissected and RNA was obtained. PCR-select was used to compare the expression of RNAs between sham-operated and ligated rats. We picked up around 10 cloned whose expression was different between two group.
1) DNA J (Hsp4O) homolog, subfamily B, number 2、
2) potassium inwardly-rectifying channel, subfamily J, member 2 (Kcnj 2)、
3) PTH receptor 2、
4) Grin 2a (glutamate receptor subunit epsilon 1 receptor、
5) roundabout homolog 1 (axon-guidance receptor activity)、
6) Neureglin (Nrg 3)、
7) erb 4 tyrosine kinase receptor ligand、
8) Interleukin 17。
The expression and functions of above genes are now under investigating.