Stereotyped transcriptomic transformation of somatosensory neurons in response to injury

eLife

Claire E Le Pichon¹  Nicholas Ryba²  Minh Q Nguyen² 

[1] National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, United States;National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, Bethesda, United States;

关键词: transcriptomic analysis;    spared nerve injury;    somatosensation;    trigeminal neurons;    transcriptomic plasticity;    peripheral injury;   

DOI  :  10.7554/eLife.49679

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

In mice, spared nerve injury replicates symptoms of human neuropathic pain and induces upregulation of many genes in somatosensory neurons. Here we used single cell transcriptomics to probe the effects of partial infraorbital transection of the trigeminal nerve at the cellular level. Uninjured neurons were unaffected by transection of major nerve branches, segregating into many different classes. In marked contrast, axotomy rapidly transformed damaged neurons into just two new and closely-related classes where almost all original identity was lost. Remarkably, sensory neurons also adopted this transcriptomic state following various minor peripheral injuries. By genetically marking injured neurons, we showed that the injury-induced transformation was reversible, with damaged cells slowly reacquiring normal gene expression profiles. Thus, our data expose transcriptomic plasticity, previously thought of as a driver of chronic pain, as a programed response to many types of injury and a potential mechanism for regulating sensation during wound healing.

【 授权许可】

Unknown