TY - JOUR
T1 - RE1-silencing transcription factor controls the acute-to-chronic neuropathic pain transition and Chrm2 receptor gene expression in primary sensory neurons
AU - Zhang, Jixiang
AU - Chen, Shao Rui
AU - Chen, Hong
AU - Pan, Hui Lin
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 Zhang et al.
PY - 2018/12/7
Y1 - 2018/12/7
N2 - Neuropathic pain is associated with persistent changes in gene expression in primary sensory neurons, but the underlying epigenetic mechanisms that cause these changes remain unclear. The muscarinic cholinergic receptors (mAChRs), particularly the M2 subtype (encoded by the cholinergic receptor muscarinic 2 (Chrm2) gene), are critically involved in the regulation of spinal nociceptive transmission. However, little is known about how Chrm2 expression is transcriptionally regulated. Here we show that nerve injury persistently increased the expression of RE1-silencing transcription factor (REST, also known as neuron-restrictive silencing factor [NRSF]), a gene-silencing transcription factor, in the dorsal root ganglion (DRG). Remarkably, nerve injury–induced chronic but not acute pain hypersensitivity was attenuated in mice with Rest knockout in DRG neurons. Also, siRNA-mediated Rest knockdown reversed nerve injury–induced chronic pain hypersensitivity in rats. Nerve injury persistently reduced Chrm2 expression in the DRG and diminished the analgesic effect of muscarine. The RE1 binding site on the Chrm2 promoter is required for REST-mediated Chrm2 repression, and nerve injury increased the enrichment of REST in the Chrm2 promoter in the DRG. Furthermore, Rest knockdown or genetic ablation in DRG neurons normalized Chrm2 expression and augmented muscarine’s analgesic effect on neuropathic pain and fully reversed the nerve injury–induced reduction in the inhibitory effect of muscarine on glutamatergic input to spinal dorsal horn neurons. Our findings indicate that nerve injury–induced REST up-regulation in DRG neurons plays an important role in the acute-to-chronic pain transition and is essential for the transcriptional repression of Chrm2 in neuropathic pain.
AB - Neuropathic pain is associated with persistent changes in gene expression in primary sensory neurons, but the underlying epigenetic mechanisms that cause these changes remain unclear. The muscarinic cholinergic receptors (mAChRs), particularly the M2 subtype (encoded by the cholinergic receptor muscarinic 2 (Chrm2) gene), are critically involved in the regulation of spinal nociceptive transmission. However, little is known about how Chrm2 expression is transcriptionally regulated. Here we show that nerve injury persistently increased the expression of RE1-silencing transcription factor (REST, also known as neuron-restrictive silencing factor [NRSF]), a gene-silencing transcription factor, in the dorsal root ganglion (DRG). Remarkably, nerve injury–induced chronic but not acute pain hypersensitivity was attenuated in mice with Rest knockout in DRG neurons. Also, siRNA-mediated Rest knockdown reversed nerve injury–induced chronic pain hypersensitivity in rats. Nerve injury persistently reduced Chrm2 expression in the DRG and diminished the analgesic effect of muscarine. The RE1 binding site on the Chrm2 promoter is required for REST-mediated Chrm2 repression, and nerve injury increased the enrichment of REST in the Chrm2 promoter in the DRG. Furthermore, Rest knockdown or genetic ablation in DRG neurons normalized Chrm2 expression and augmented muscarine’s analgesic effect on neuropathic pain and fully reversed the nerve injury–induced reduction in the inhibitory effect of muscarine on glutamatergic input to spinal dorsal horn neurons. Our findings indicate that nerve injury–induced REST up-regulation in DRG neurons plays an important role in the acute-to-chronic pain transition and is essential for the transcriptional repression of Chrm2 in neuropathic pain.
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U2 - 10.1074/jbc.RA118.005846
DO - 10.1074/jbc.RA118.005846
M3 - Article
C2 - 30327427
AN - SCOPUS:85058183297
SN - 0021-9258
VL - 293
SP - 19078
EP - 19091
JO - Journal of Biological Chemistry
JF - Journal of Biological Chemistry
IS - 49
ER -