Abstract
Itch-specific neurons have been sought for decades. The existence of such neurons has been doubted recently as a result of the observation that itch-mediating neurons also respond to painful stimuli. We genetically labeled and manipulated MrgprA3+ neurons in the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) and found that they exclusively innervated the epidermis of the skin and responded to multiple pruritogens. Ablation of MrgprA3+ neurons led to substantial reductions in scratching evoked by multiple pruritogens and occurring spontaneously under chronic itch conditions, whereas pain sensitivity remained intact. Notably, mice in which TRPV1 was exclusively expressed in MrgprA3+ neurons exhibited itch, but not pain, behavior in response to capsaicin. Although MrgprA3+ neurons were sensitive to noxious heat, activation of TRPV1 in these neurons by noxious heat did not alter pain behavior. These data suggest that MrgprA3 defines a specific subpopulation of DRG neurons mediating itch. Our study opens new avenues for studying itch and developing anti-pruritic therapies.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 174-182 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Nature Neuroscience |
| Volume | 16 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Feb 2013 |
| Externally published | Yes |
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ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Neuroscience(all)
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A subpopulation of nociceptors specifically linked to itch. / Han, Liang; Ma, Chao; Liu, Qin; Weng, Hao Jui; Cui, Yiyuan; Tang, Zongxiang; Kim, Yu Shin; Nie, Hong; Qu, Lintao; Patel, Kush N.; Li, Zhe; McNeil, Benjamin; He, Shaoqiu; Guan, Yun; Xiao, Bo; Lamotte, Robert H.; Dong, Xinzhong.
In: Nature Neuroscience, Vol. 16, No. 2, 02.2013, p. 174-182.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - A subpopulation of nociceptors specifically linked to itch
AU - Han, Liang
AU - Ma, Chao
AU - Liu, Qin
AU - Weng, Hao Jui
AU - Cui, Yiyuan
AU - Tang, Zongxiang
AU - Kim, Yu Shin
AU - Nie, Hong
AU - Qu, Lintao
AU - Patel, Kush N.
AU - Li, Zhe
AU - McNeil, Benjamin
AU - He, Shaoqiu
AU - Guan, Yun
AU - Xiao, Bo
AU - Lamotte, Robert H.
AU - Dong, Xinzhong
PY - 2013/2
Y1 - 2013/2
N2 - Itch-specific neurons have been sought for decades. The existence of such neurons has been doubted recently as a result of the observation that itch-mediating neurons also respond to painful stimuli. We genetically labeled and manipulated MrgprA3+ neurons in the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) and found that they exclusively innervated the epidermis of the skin and responded to multiple pruritogens. Ablation of MrgprA3+ neurons led to substantial reductions in scratching evoked by multiple pruritogens and occurring spontaneously under chronic itch conditions, whereas pain sensitivity remained intact. Notably, mice in which TRPV1 was exclusively expressed in MrgprA3+ neurons exhibited itch, but not pain, behavior in response to capsaicin. Although MrgprA3+ neurons were sensitive to noxious heat, activation of TRPV1 in these neurons by noxious heat did not alter pain behavior. These data suggest that MrgprA3 defines a specific subpopulation of DRG neurons mediating itch. Our study opens new avenues for studying itch and developing anti-pruritic therapies.
AB - Itch-specific neurons have been sought for decades. The existence of such neurons has been doubted recently as a result of the observation that itch-mediating neurons also respond to painful stimuli. We genetically labeled and manipulated MrgprA3+ neurons in the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) and found that they exclusively innervated the epidermis of the skin and responded to multiple pruritogens. Ablation of MrgprA3+ neurons led to substantial reductions in scratching evoked by multiple pruritogens and occurring spontaneously under chronic itch conditions, whereas pain sensitivity remained intact. Notably, mice in which TRPV1 was exclusively expressed in MrgprA3+ neurons exhibited itch, but not pain, behavior in response to capsaicin. Although MrgprA3+ neurons were sensitive to noxious heat, activation of TRPV1 in these neurons by noxious heat did not alter pain behavior. These data suggest that MrgprA3 defines a specific subpopulation of DRG neurons mediating itch. Our study opens new avenues for studying itch and developing anti-pruritic therapies.
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U2 - 10.1038/nn.3289
DO - 10.1038/nn.3289
M3 - Article
VL - 16
SP - 174
EP - 182
JO - Nature Neuroscience
JF - Nature Neuroscience
SN - 1097-6256
IS - 2
ER -