Single-nociceptor tracing reveals a novel somatotopic organization for the mammalian pain system, and physiological recordings and peripheral optogenetic behavior assays suggest that it is a possible mechanism underlying region-specific pain sensation.
The extrinsic cue NGF and the intrinsic signal Islet1 converge at the level of the Runx1/CBFβ transcription factor complex formation to promote differentiation of a major nociceptor subtype.
The mTOR downstream effector eukaryotic initiation factor 4E-binding protein 1 (4E-BP1) regulates mechanical nociception via translational control of synaptic transmission in the spinal cord.
A class of interneuron is identified that promotes escape behavior downstream of nociceptor inputs via connections to nociceptive integrator and premotor networks.
Drosophila polymodal nociceptors use precipitous fluctuation of the firing rate, which depends on Ca2+ influx, as a key signal encoding a heat sensation and evoking the robust heat avoidance behavior.
Epidermal cells in vertebrates and invertebrates ensheath portions of somatosensory neurons via a conserved morphogenetic mechanism, and this ensheathment regulates morphogenesis and function of Drosophila nociceptive neurons.
Electron-donating nucleophilic compounds activate TRPA1 ion channels in fruit flies and mosquitoes, but not humans, making TRPA1 a promising target for insect repellants.
Inflammatory pain, previously thought to result from increased activity in "pain" neurons, may in fact be due to wholesale changes in afferent output that includes increased and decreased activity that the brain interprets as pain.
Optogenetics reveals that keratinocytes can evoke action potential firing in several types of cutaneous sensory afferents, including those that transmit thermal, mechanical and pain stimuli.
The connectivity structure of a nociceptive circuit is precisely maintained over Drosophila larval development through cell type-specific increases in synaptic contacts as measured from electron microscopy reconstructions, while individual neurons grow five-fold in size and number of synapses.
