A microfluidic model of the first sensory synapse for analgesic target discovery.

ABSTRACT: The synaptic connections between dorsal root ganglia (DRG) and dorsal horn (DH) neurons are a crucial relay point for the transmission of painful stimuli. To delineate how synaptic plasticity may modulate the excitability of DH neurons, we have devised a microfluidic co-culture model that recapitulates the first sensory synapse using postnatal mouse sensory neurons. We show that DRG-DH co-cultures characterize salient features of the in vivo physiology of sensory neurons. Immunocytcochemical experiments of the cultured DH neurons show a co-localization of Map2 with VGlut2 and of Map2 with Synapsin 1, corroborating the glutamatergic identity of the DH neurons and further suggesting the potential formation of active synapses in this neuronal set. Fluorometric imaging experiments demonstrate

SUBMITTER: Kimourtzis G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11565614 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jan-Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature