Ajay Dhaka

Ocular surface wetness is regulated by TRPM8-dependent cold thermoreceptors of the cornea

Basal tearing is crucial to maintaining ocular surface wetness. Corneal cold thermoreceptors sense small oscillations in ambient temperature and change their discharge accordingly. Deletion of the cold-transducing ion channel Transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily M member 8 (TRPM8) in mice abrogates cold responsiveness and reduces basal tearing without affecting nociceptor-mediated irritative tearing. Warming of the cornea in humans also decreases tearing rate. These findings indicate that TRPM8-dependent impulse activity in corneal cold receptors contributes to regulating basal tear flow.

Expression of the Transient Receptor Potential Channels TRPV1, TRPA1 and TRPM8 in Mouse Trigeminal Primary Afferent Neurons Innervating the Dura

BackgroundMigraine and other headache disorders affect a large percentage of the population and cause debilitating pain. Activation and sensitization of the trigeminal primary afferent neurons innervating the dura and cerebral vessels is a crucial step in the “headache circuit”. Many dural afferent neurons respond to algesic and inflammatory agents. Given the clear role of the transient receptor potential (TRP) family of channels in both sensing chemical stimulants and mediating inflammatory pain, we investigated the expression of TRP channels in dural afferent neurons.MethodsWe used two fluorescent tracers to retrogradely label dural afferent neurons in adult mice and quantified the abundance of peptidergic and non-peptidergic neuron populations using calcitonin gene-related peptide immunoreactivity (CGRP-ir) and isolectin B4 (IB4) binding as markers, respectively. Using immunohistochemistry, we compared the expression of TRPV1 and TRPA1 channels in dural afferent neurons with the expression in total trigeminal ganglion (TG) neurons. To examine the distribution of TRPM8 channels, we labeled dural afferent neurons in mice expressing farnesylated enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFPf) from a TRPM8 locus. We used nearest-neighbor measurement to predict the spatial association between dural afferent neurons and neurons expressing TRPA1 or TRPM8 channels in the TG.Results and conclusionsWe report that the size of dural afferent neurons is significantly larger than that of total TG neurons and facial skin afferents. Approximately 40% of dural afferent neurons exhibit IB4 binding. Surprisingly, the percentage of dural afferent neurons containing CGRP-ir is significantly lower than those of total TG neurons and facial skin afferents. Both TRPV1 and TRPA1 channels are expressed in dural afferent neurons. Furthermore, nearest-neighbor measurement indicates that TRPA1-expressing neurons are clustered around a subset of dural afferent neurons. Interestingly, TRPM8-expressing neurons are virtually absent in the dural afferent population, nor do these neurons cluster around dural afferent neurons. Taken together, our results suggest that TRPV1 and TRPA1 but not TRPM8 channels likely contribute to the excitation of dural afferent neurons and the subsequent activation of the headache circuit. These results provide an anatomical basis for understanding further the functional significance of TRP channels in headache pathophysiology.

Cooling-Sensitive TRPM8 Is Thermostat of Skin Temperature against Cooling

We have shown that cutaneous cooling-sensitive receptors can work as thermostats of skin temperature against cooling. However, molecule of the thermostat is not known. Here, we studied whether cooling-sensitive TRPM8 channels act as thermostats. TRPM8 in HEK293 cells generated output (y) when temperature (T) was below threshold of 28.4°C. Output (y) is given by two equations: At T >28.4°C, y = 0; At T <28.4°C, y  =  -k(T – 28.4°C). These equations show that TRPM8 is directional comparator to elicits output (y) depending on negative value of thermal difference (ΔT  =  T – 28.4°C). If negative ΔT-dependent output of TRPM8 in the skin induces responses to warm the skin for minimizing ΔT recursively, TRPM8 acts as thermostats against cooling. With TRPM8-deficient mice, we explored whether TRPM8 induces responses to warm the skin against cooling. In behavioral regulation, when room temperature was 10°C, TRPM8 induced behavior to move to heated floor (35°C) for warming the sole skin. In autonomic regulation, TRPM8 induced activities of thermogenic brown adipose tissue (BAT) against cooling. When menthol was applied to the whole trunk skin at neutral room temperature (27°C), TRPM8 induced a rise in core temperature, which warmed the trunk skin slightly. In contrast, when room was cooled from 27 to 10°C, TRPM8 induced a small rise in core temperature, but skin temperature was severely reduced in both TRPM8-deficient and wild-type mice by a large heat leak to the surroundings. This shows that TRPM8-driven endothermic system is less effective for maintenance of skin temperature against cooling. In conclusion, we found that TRPM8 is molecule of thermostat of skin temperature against cooling.

The Zebrafish Ortholog of TRPV1 Is Required for Heat-Induced Locomotion

The ability to detect hot temperatures is critical to maintaining body temperature and avoiding injury in diverse animals from insects to mammals. Zebrafish embryos, when given a choice, actively avoid hot temperatures and display an increase in locomotion similar to that seen when they are exposed to noxious compounds such as mustard oil. Phylogenetic analysis suggests that the single zebrafish ortholog of TRPV1/2 may have arisen from an evolutionary precursor of the mammalian TRPV1 and TRPV2. As opposed to TRPV2, mammalian TRPV1 is essential for environmentally relevant heat sensation. In the present study, we provide evidence that the zebrafish TRPV1 ion channel is also required for the sensation of heat. Contrary to development in mammals, zebrafish TRPV1+ neurons arise during the first wave of somatosensory neuron development, suggesting a vital importance of thermal sensation in early larval survival. In vitro analysis showed that zebrafish TRPV1 acts as a molecular sensor of environmental heat (≥25°C) that is distinctly lower than the sensitivity of the mammalian form (≥42°C) but consistent with thresholds measured in behavioral assays. Using in vivo calcium imaging with the genetically encoded calcium sensor GCaMP3, we show that TRPV1-expressing trigeminal neurons are activated by heat at behaviorally relevant temperatures. Using knock-down studies, we also show that TRPV1 is required for normal heat-induced locomotion. Our results demonstrate for the first time an ancient role for TRPV1 in the direct sensation of environmental heat and show that heat sensation is adapted to reflect species-dependent requirements in response to environmental stimuli.

ThermoTRPs and Pain

The ability of the body to perceive noxious stimuli lies in a heterogeneous group of primary somatosensory neurons termed nociceptors. The molecular receptors of noxious mechanical, temperature, or chemical stimuli are expressed in these neurons and have drawn considerable attention as possible targets for analgesic development to improve treatment for the millions who suffer from chronic pain conditions. A number of thermoTRPs, a subset of the transient receptor potential family of ion channels, are activated by a wide range on noxious stimuli. In this review, we review the function of these channels and examine the evidence that thermoTRPs play a vital role in acute, inflammatory and neuropathic nociception.

Modeling Nociception in Zebrafish: A Way Forward for Unbiased Analgesic Discovery

Acute and chronic pain conditions are often debilitating, inflicting severe physiological, emotional and economic costs and affect a large percentage of the global population. However, the development of therapeutic analgesic agents based primarily on targeted drug development has been largely ineffective. An alternative approach to analgesic development would be to develop low cost, high throughput, untargeted animal based behavioral screens that model complex nociceptive behaviors in which to screen for analgesic compounds. Here we describe the development of a behavioral based assay in zebrafish larvae that is effective in identifying small molecule compounds with analgesic properties. In a place aversion assay, which likely utilizes supraspinal neuronal circuitry, individually arrayed zebrafish larvae show temperature-dependent aversion to increasing and decreasing temperatures deviating from rearing temperature. Modeling thermal hyperalgesia, the addition of the noxious inflammatory compound and TRPA1 agonist allyl isothiocyanate sensitized heat aversion and reversed cool aversion leading larvae to avoid rearing temperature in favor of otherwise acutely aversive cooler temperatures. We show that small molecules with known analgesic properties are able to inhibit acute and/or sensitized temperature aversion.

Fear learning and extinction are linked to neuronal plasticity through Rin1 signaling.

The amygdala is known to have a crucial role in both the acquisition and extinction of conditioned fear, but the physiological changes and biochemical mechanisms underlying these forms of learning are only partly understood. The Ras effector Rin1 activates Abl tyrosine kinases and Rab5 GTPases and is highly expressed in mature neurons of the telencephalon including the amygdala, where it inhibits the acquisition of fear memories (Rin1−/− mice show enhanced learning of conditioned fear). Here we report that Rin1−/− mice exhibit profound deficits in both latent inhibition and fear extinction, suggesting a critical role for Rin1 in gating the acquisition and persistence of cue‐dependent fear conditioning. Surprisingly, we also find that depotentiation, a proposed cellular mechanism of extinction, is enhanced at lateral‐basolateral (LA‐BLA) amygdaloid synapses in Rin1−/− mice. Inhibition of a single Rin1 downstream effector pathway, the Abl tyrosine kinases, led to reduced amygdaloid depotentiation, arguing that proper coordination of Abl and Rab5 pathways is critical for Rin1‐mediated effects on plasticity. While demonstrating a correlation between amygdala plasticity and fear learning, our findings argue against models proposing a direct causative relationship between amygdala depotentiation and fear extinction. Taken together, the behavior and physiology of Rin1−/− mice provide new insights into the regulation of memory acquisition and maintenance. In addition, Rin1−/− mice should prove useful as a model for pathologies marked by enhanced fear acquisition and retention, such as posttraumatic stress disorder.

A dynamic set point for thermal adaptation requires phospholipase C-mediated regulation of TRPM8 in vivo

&NA; We measure the rapid adaptation of mice to changing environmental conditions. This process that preserves temperature responsiveness is TRPM8 dependent, and mediated by phospholipase C. &NA; The ability to sense and respond to thermal stimuli at varied environmental temperatures is essential for survival in seasonal areas. In this study, we show that mice respond similarly to ramping changes in temperature from a wide range of baseline temperatures. Further investigation suggests that this ability to adapt to different ambient environments is based on rapid adjustments made to a dynamic temperature set point. The adjustment of this set point requires transient receptor potential cation channel, subfamily member 8 (TRPM8), but not transient receptor potential cation channel, subfamily A, member 1 (TRPA1), and is regulated by phospholipase C (PLC) activity. Overall, our findings suggest that temperature response thresholds in mice are dynamic, and that this ability to adapt to environmental temperature seems to mirror the in vitro findings that PLC‐mediated hydrolysis of phosphoinositol 4,5‐bisphosphate modulates TRPM8 activity and thereby regulates the response thresholds to cold stimuli.

The Pore Loop Domain of TRPV1 Is Required for Its Activation by the Volatile Anesthetics Chloroform and Isoflurane

The environmental irritant chloroform, a naturally occurring small volatile organohalogen, briefly became the world’s most popular volatile general anesthetic (VGA) before being abandoned because of its low therapeutic index. When chloroform comes in contact with skin or is ingested, it causes a painful burning sensation. The molecular basis for the pain associated with chloroform remains unknown. In this study, we assessed the role of transient receptor potential (TRP) channel family members in mediating chloroform activation and the molecular determinants of VGA activation of TRPV1. We identified the subpopulation of dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons that are activated by chloroform. Additionally, we transiently expressed wild-type or specifically mutated TRP channels in human embryonic kidney cells and used calcium imaging or whole-cell patch-clamp electrophysiology to assess the effects of chloroform or the VGA isoflurane on TRP channel activation. The results revealed that chloroform activates DRG neurons via TRPV1 activation. Furthermore, chloroform activates TRPV1, and it also activates TRPM8 and functions as a potent inhibitor of the noxious chemical receptor TRPA1. The results also indicate that residues in the outer pore region of TRPV1 previously thought to be required for either proton or heat activation of the channel are also required for activation by chloroform and isoflurane. In addition to identifying the molecular basis of DRG neuron activation by chloroform and the opposing effects chloroform has on different TRP channel family members, the findings of this study provide novel insights into the structural basis for the activation of TRPV1 by VGAs.

Function and postnatal changes of dural afferent fibers expressing TRPM8 channels

BackgroundGenome-wide association studies have identified TRPM8 (transient receptor potential melastatin 8) as one of the susceptibility genes for common migraine. Here, we investigated the postnatal changes of TRPM8-expressing dural afferent fibers as well as the function of dural TRPM8 channels in mice.ResultsFirst, we quantified the density and the number of axonal branches of TRPM8-expressing fibers in the dura of mice expressing farnesylated enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFPf) from one TRPM8 allele between postnatal day 2 (P2) to adulthood. The number of axonal branches on individual dural EGFP-positive fibers was decreased by 30% between P2 and P11. The density of dural EGFP-positive fibers was subsequently reduced by 50% between P16 and P21. Conversely, the density and the number of branches of axons expressing calcitonin gene-related peptide remained stable in postnatal mouse dura. The density of TRPM8-expressing fibers innervating the mouse cornea epithelium was significantly increased from P2 to adulthood. Next, we tested the function of dural TRPM8 channels in adult mice and found that TRPM8 agonist menthol effectively inhibited the nocifensive behavior evoked by dural application of inflammatory mediators.ConclusionsOur results indicate that the TRPM8-expressing dural afferent fibers undergo cell- and target tissue-specific axonal pruning during postnatal development. Activation of dural TRPM8 channels decreases meningeal irritation-evoked nocifensive behavior in adult mice. This provides a framework to further explore the role of postnatal changes of TRPM8-expressing dural afferents in the pathophysiology of pediatric and adult migraine.