Inflammation and nerve injury induce expression of pancreatitis-associated protein-II in primary sensory neurons

Shao Qiu He, Jun Ru Yao, Fang Xiong Zhang, Qiong Wang, Lan Bao, Xu Zhang

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

10 Scopus citations

Abstract

Pancreatitis-associated protein (PAP)-I and -II, lectin-related secretory proteins, are members of the regenerating gene (Reg) family. Although expression of PAP-I was found in the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons following peripheral nerve injury and cystitis, whether PAP-II could be expressed in DRG neurons in chronic pain models remains unclear. The present study shows an inflammation- and nerve injury-triggered expression of PAP-II in rat DRG neurons. In situ hybridization showed that only a few DRG neurons normally contained PAP-I and -II mRNAs. After peripheral inflammation, PAP-I and -II mRNAs were present in over half of small DRG neurons. Such an elevated expression of PAP-I and -II reached the peak level on the second day. Immunostaining showed that the expression of PAP-II was mostly increased in the isolectin B4-positive subset of small DRG neurons after inflammation. Furthermore, the expression of PAP-II was also induced in DRG neurons after peripheral nerve injury. Interestingly, PAP-II expression was shifted from small neurons on day 2 to large DRG neurons that expressed neuropeptide Y during the later post-injury days. These results suggest that PAP-II may play potential roles in the modulation of spinal sensory pathways in pathological pain states.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number23
JournalMolecular Pain
Volume6
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 26 2010
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Molecular Medicine
  • Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience
  • Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine

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