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Role of purinergic signaling in acupunctureinduced analgesia

Subject Area Molecular Biology and Physiology of Neurons and Glial Cells
Term from 2013 to 2016
Project identifier Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 245045708
 
Final Report Year 2017

Final Report Abstract

The project deals with the pain-relevant P2X3, P2X2/3 and P2X7 receptors (Rs). Attachment of ATP to the binding pouch of the trimeric P2X3 or P2X2/3Rs situated between two neighbouring subunits initiates gating movement to open the ion conducting pore. We found that both possible variants of P2X2/3Rs [(P2X2)1/(P2X3)2 and [(P2X2)2/(P2X3)1] are fully functional. Moreover spontaneous tightening of the binding jaw of the P2X3R by inter-subunit cross-linking of cysteine residues substituted at positions not directly involved in agonist binding inhibited agonist-evoked currents, without interfering with subunit assembly of trafficking. ASIC3 and P2X3Rs appeared to form multiprotein complexes possibly participating in the transfer of painful stimuli during simultaneous acidification and ATP release. In the substantia gelatinosa of the spinal cord dorsal horn, astroglial P2X7Rs released glutamate which activated AMPA/NMDA-Rs at nearby neurons causing pain sensation via the involvement of the downstream spinothalamic neurons. P2X7Rs had a favourable effect on recurrent seizures following one-time status epilepticus (SE) in rodents. Pilocarpine-induced SE increased the sensitivity of P2X7Rs at hippocampal subgranular zone (SGZ) neural progenitor cells (NPCs) which give rise to mature granule cells in the dentate gyrus. Apoptosis/necrosis by P2X7R activation decreases the number of ectopic granule cells thought to be responsible for the manifestation of chronic epilepsy.

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