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Papers of the Week


Papers: 22 Jun 2019 - 28 Jun 2019


Animal Studies


2019 Jun


Sci Adv


5


6

Sortilin gates neurotensin and BDNF signaling to control peripheral neuropathic pain.

Authors

Richner M, Pallesen LT, Ulrichsen M, Poulsen ET, Holm TH, Login H, Castonguay A, Lorenzo L-E, Gonçalves NP, Andersen OM, Lykke-Hartmann K, Enghild JJ, Rønn LCB, Malik IJ, De Koninck Y, Bjerrum OJ, Vægter CB, Nykjær A
Sci Adv. 2019 Jun; 5(6):eaav9946.
PMID: 31223654.

Abstract

Neuropathic pain is a major incurable clinical problem resulting from peripheral nerve trauma or disease. A central mechanism is the reduced expression of the potassium chloride cotransporter 2 (KCC2) in dorsal horn neurons induced by brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), causing neuronal disinhibition within spinal nociceptive pathways. Here, we demonstrate how neurotensin receptor 2 (NTSR2) signaling impairs BDNF-induced spinal KCC2 down-regulation, showing how these two pathways converge to control the abnormal sensory response following peripheral nerve injury. We establish how sortilin regulates this convergence by scavenging neurotensin from binding to NTSR2, thus modulating its inhibitory effect on BDNF-mediated mechanical allodynia. Using sortilin-deficient mice or receptor inhibition by antibodies or a small-molecule antagonist, we lastly demonstrate that we are able to fully block BDNF-induced pain and alleviate injury-induced neuropathic pain, validating sortilin as a clinically relevant target.