Regulated development of the sensory nervous system results in the ability to feel pain and to sense body position. A major challenge has been to understand how neural crest precursor differentiation is controlled during development and how appropriate neurons are matched with target tissues in the periphery. This application focuses on the developmental regulation of the pain-sensing, calcitonin gene related peptide (CGRP)-containing sensory neurons in the dorsal root ganglion (DRG). CGRP-containing sensory neurons contact skin and gut peripheral target tissues and play pivotal roles in mediating pain sensation and local skin inflammation. This project is based on our novel observation that members of the transforming growth factor beta family -- including activins and bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) -- induce the pain sensing phenotype that includes CGRP expression in vitro. We hypothesize that specific TGFb family ligands from skin, blood vessel and gut target tissues induce the pain-sensing phenotype in sensory neurons during development. Studies in this application will test this hypothesis using both in vitro and in vivo functional assays. Noggin and follistatin will be used to identify classes of ligands that underlie CGRP induction by skin cell line factors. Native skin and gut will be assayed for biological activity and ligands in vitro, using assays developed with cell lines. The spatial and temporal localization of ligands and inhibitors will be carried out at critical periods of target contact to learn where and when bioactive factors are present. The role of TGFb family ligands in vivo will be tested by viral misexpression of ligand, inhibitor or BMP receptor. The long term objective of these studies is to understand the mechanisms that regulate neuronal differentiation. Even within the DRG, where relatively few neuronal types arise, little is known about what regulates how different types of neurons are generated from neural crest cells. The completion of the proposed studies will advance our understanding of the importance of target derived growth factors, and in particular the TGFb family ligands activin and bone morphogenetic proteins, in specifying sensory neuronal types from embryonic precursors.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01NS039316-04
Application #
6639607
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1-MDCN-6 (01))
Program Officer
Finkelstein, Robert
Project Start
2000-07-06
Project End
2004-04-30
Budget Start
2003-05-01
Budget End
2004-04-30
Support Year
4
Fiscal Year
2003
Total Cost
$306,000
Indirect Cost
Name
Case Western Reserve University
Department
Neurosciences
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
077758407
City
Cleveland
State
OH
Country
United States
Zip Code
44106
Mukerji, Shibani S; Rainey, Riley N; Rhodes, Jamie L et al. (2009) Delayed activin A administration attenuates tissue death after transient focal cerebral ischemia and is associated with decreased stress-responsive kinase activation. J Neurochem 111:1138-48
Zhu, Weiguo; Xu, Pin; Cuascut, Fernando X et al. (2007) Activin acutely sensitizes dorsal root ganglion neurons and induces hyperalgesia via PKC-mediated potentiation of transient receptor potential vanilloid I. J Neurosci 27:13770-80
Xu, P; Hall, A K (2007) Activin acts with nerve growth factor to regulate calcitonin gene-related peptide mRNA in sensory neurons. Neuroscience 150:665-74
Mukerji, Shibani S; Katsman, Ekaterina A; Wilber, Charles et al. (2007) Activin is a neuronal survival factor that is rapidly increased after transient cerebral ischemia and hypoxia in mice. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab 27:1161-72
Berti-Mattera, Liliana N; Gariepy, Cheryl E; Burke, Rebecca M et al. (2006) Reduced expression of endothelin B receptors and mechanical hyperalgesia in experimental chronic diabetes. Exp Neurol 201:399-406
Xu, Pin; Van Slambrouck, Charles; Berti-Mattera, Liliana et al. (2005) Activin induces tactile allodynia and increases calcitonin gene-related peptide after peripheral inflammation. J Neurosci 25:9227-35
Cruise, Bethany A; Xu, Pin; Hall, Alison K (2004) Wounds increase activin in skin and a vasoactive neuropeptide in sensory ganglia. Dev Biol 271:1-10
Miller, Robert H; Dinsio, Kyl; Wang, Rae et al. (2004) Patterning of spinal cord oligodendrocyte development by dorsally derived BMP4. J Neurosci Res 76:9-19
Angley, Catherine; Kumar, Mallika; Dinsio, Kyl J et al. (2003) Signaling by bone morphogenetic proteins and Smad1 modulates the postnatal differentiation of cerebellar cells. J Neurosci 23:260-8
Hall, Alison K; Burke, Rebecca M; Anand, Malini et al. (2002) Activin and bone morphogenetic proteins are present in perinatal sensory neuron target tissues that induce neuropeptides. J Neurobiol 52:52-60

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