Cyclin-dependent-like kinase 5 is required for pain signaling in human sensory neurons and mouse models.

ABSTRACT: Cyclin-dependent-like kinase 5 (CDKL5) gene mutations lead to an X-linked disorder that is characterized by infantile epileptic encephalopathy, developmental delay, and hypotonia. However, we found that a substantial percentage of these patients also report a previously unrecognized anamnestic deficiency in pain perception. Consistent with a role in nociception, we found that CDKL5 is expressed selectively in nociceptive dorsal root ganglia (DRG) neurons in mice and in induced pluripotent stem cell (iPS)-derived human nociceptors. CDKL5-deficient mice display defective epidermal innervation, and conditional deletion of CDKL5 in DRG sensory neurons impairs nociception, phenocopying CDKL5 deficiency disorder in patients. Mechanistically, CDKL5 interacts with calcium/calmodulin-

SUBMITTER: La Montanara P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7116442 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature