Project description:A major challenge in biology is to link cellular and molecular variations with behavioral phenotypes. Here, we approached this by studying somatosensory neurons from a panel of bird species from the family Anatidae, known for their tactile-based foraging behavior. We found that tactile specialists exhibit a proportional expansion of neuronal mechanoreceptors in trigeminal ganglia. The expansion of mechanoreceptors occurs via neurons with intermediately and slowly inactivating mechano-current. Such neurons contain the Piezo2 ion channel, whose expression positively correlates with the expression of factors responsible for the development and function of touch receptors. Conversely, Piezo2 expression negatively correlates with expression of molecules mediating the detection of temperature and pain, suggesting that the expansion of Piezo2-containing mechanoreceptors with prolonged mechano-current occurs at the expense of other types of sensory neurons. Our study reveals a general mechanism of tactile specialization in vertebrates at the level of somatosensory system.
Project description:Expression of DREAM in dorsal root ganglia and spinal cord is related to endogenous control mechanisms of acute and chronic pain. In primary sensory trigeminal neurons high levels of endogenous DREAM protein are preferentially localized in the nucleus, suggesting a major transcriptional role. Here, we show that DREAM participates in the control of trigeminal pain perception through the regulation of prodynorphin and BDNF. Furthermore, genome-wide analysis of trigeminal neurons in daDREAM transgenic mice revealed that cathepsin L (CTSL) and the monoglyceride lipase (MGLL) are new DREAM downstream targets and have a role in the regulation of trigeminal nociception.
Project description:Purpose: In this study, we aimed to analyze lncRNA expression in the whole transcriptome of trigeminal ganglia (TG) and spinal trigeminal nucleus caudalis (Sp5C) in a chronic inflammatory TMJ pain mouse model. Chronic inflammatory TMJ pain was induced by intra-TMJ injection of complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA). The lncRNA expression patterns in the whole transcriptome of TG and Sp5C were profiled with RNA sequencing.
Project description:Comparison of the effect of ocular surface desiccation and the lack of adaptive immunity (T and B cells) on gene expression in the trigeminal ganglia. Eight-week-old female mice of both strains were either operated on day 1 (either bilateral extraorbital lacrimal gland excision or sham surgery) and allowed to develop a dry eye state until day 10, when they were euthanized and the trigeminal ganglia were excised for RNA extraction. The two trigeminal ganglia of each mouse were pooled in one sample. There were 12 samples in total (2 x 2 design, 2 strains, 2 treatments).
Project description:The sensitization of trigeminal ganglion neurons contributes to primary headache disorders such as migraine, but the specific neuronal and non-neuronal trigeminal subtypes involved remain unclear. We thus developed a cell atlas in which human and mouse trigeminal ganglia are transcriptionally and epigenomically profiled at single-cell resolution. These data describe evolutionarily conserved and human-specific gene expression patterns within each trigeminal ganglion cell type, as well as the transcription factors and gene regulatory elements that contribute to cell-type-specific gene expression. We then leverage these data to identify trigeminal ganglion cell types that are implicated both by human genetic variation associated with migraine and two mouse models of headache. This trigeminal ganglion cell atlas improves our understanding of the cell types, genes, and epigenomic features involved in headache pathophysiology and establishes a rich resource of cell-type-specific molecular features to guide the development of more selective treatments for headache and facial pain.
Project description:Chronic nitroglycerin treatment elicits hyperalgesia in mice that is significantly augmented by a human migraine trigger and reduced with migraine therapy. The purpose of this study was to profile mRNA levels (transcriptome) to understand the differences between nitroglicerin and vehicle treatments in two nervous system regions, the trigeminal ganglia and the nucleus accumbens,