Differential contribution of α2δ auxiliary subunits of voltage-gated calcium channels in mouse models of pain and itch.

ABSTRACT: Voltage-gated calcium channels (VGCCs) are multimeric proteins composed of alpha 1, β and γ subunits, as well as one of four auxiliary α2δ subunits. Although there is considerable preclinical and clinical evidence for a contribution of VGCCs to nociceptive processing, notably the gabapentin-targeted α2δ-1 subunit, unclear is the extent to which other α2δ subunits contribute to baseline or injury-altered pain and itch processing. Here, we investigated the anatomical and behavioral consequences of deleting α2δ-2, α2δ-3 or α2δ-4 in the mouse and report that selectively ablating each α2δ subunit leads to different, and in some cases, opposite effects on behavioral indices of pain and itch. Specifically, deleting α2δ2 resulted in mechanical and heat hypersensitivity, and an increase in spinal c

SUBMITTER: Braz JM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12671734 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature