The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience
-
The transient receptor potential melastatin 8 (TRPM8) ion channel is a major sensor of environmental cold temperatures. It is activated by cold and chemical agonists, such as menthol and icilin. The activation of these channels both by cold and cooling agents requires the presence of the membrane phospholipid phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate [PI(4,5)P(2)]. ⋯ Here we also demonstrate that PI(4,5)P(2) is the prime factor that impacts the gating of TRPM8 and that other phosphoinositides are less efficient in supporting channel activity. Menthol increases the potency of PI(4,5)P(2) to activate the channels and increases binding of phosphoinositides to the full-length channel protein. Our data demonstrate conclusively that TRPM8 is gated by cold and its chemical agonists directly, and that dependence of its gating on PI(4,5)P(2) is a result of direct specific interactions with the lipid.
-
Adrenomedullin (AM) belongs to calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) family and is a pronociceptive mediator. This study investigated whether AM plays a role in the development of tolerance to morphine-induced analgesia. Repetitive intrathecal injection of morphine increased the expression of AM-like immunoreactivity (AM-IR) in the spinal dorsal horn and dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons. ⋯ Together, these results reveal that a sustained opiate treatment induces an upregulation of AM through the activation of μ-opioid receptors and the PKC signaling pathway. This phenomenon contributes to the development of tolerance to the antinociceptive effects of opiates at least partially via the upregulation of CGRP. Targeting AM and its receptors should be considered as a novel approach to preserve the analgesic potency of opiates during their chronic use.
-
Integrins play an important part in axon growth, but integrin traffic in neurons is poorly understood. Expression of the tenascin-C-binding integrin alpha9 promotes axon regeneration. We have therefore studied the mechanism by which alpha9 integrin and its partner beta1 are trafficked along axons and at the growth cone using adult DRG neurons and PC12 cells. ⋯ In growth cones, alpha9 and beta1 overlap with RCP, particularly at the growth cone periphery. We show that beta1 integrin trafficking during neurite outgrowth involves Rab11 and RCP, and that manipulation of these molecules alters surface integrin levels and axon growth, and can be used to enhance alpha9 integrin-dependent neurite outgrowth. Our data suggest that manipulation of trafficking via Rab11 and RCP could be a useful strategy for promoting integrin-dependent axonal regeneration.