Department of Neuroscience, Medical School, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA.
J Neurosci. 2013 Aug 14;33(33):13538-46. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4013-12.2013.
We recently showed that spinal synergistic interactions between δ opioid receptors (δORs) and α2A adrenergic receptors (α2AARs) require protein kinase C (PKC). To identify which PKC isoforms contribute to analgesic synergy, we evaluated the effects of various PKC-isoform-specific peptide inhibitors on synergy between δORs and α2AARs using the tail flick assay of thermal nociception in mice. Only a PKCε inhibitor abolished synergy between a δOR agonist and an α2AAR agonist. We tested a panel of combinations of opioid and adrenergic agonists in PKCε knock-out mice and found that all four combinations of a δOR agonist and an α2AAR agonist required PKCε for antinociceptive synergy. None of the combinations of a μOR agonist with an α2AR agonist required PKCε. Immunohistochemistry confirmed that PKCε could be found in the population of peptidergic primary afferent nociceptors where δORs and α2AARs have been found to extensively colocalize. Immunoreactivity for PKCε was found in the majority of dorsal root ganglion neurons and intensely labeled laminae I and II of the spinal cord dorsal horn. PKCε is widespread in the spinal nociceptive system and in peptidergic primary afferents it appears to be specifically involved in mediating the synergistic interaction between δORs and α2AARs.
我们最近表明,δ 阿片受体 (δOR) 和 α2A 肾上腺素能受体 (α2AAR) 之间的脊髓协同相互作用需要蛋白激酶 C (PKC)。为了确定哪些 PKC 同工型有助于协同镇痛,我们使用小鼠热痛觉的尾部闪烁试验评估了各种 PKC-同工型特异性肽抑制剂对 δOR 和 α2AAR 之间协同作用的影响。只有 PKCε 抑制剂可消除 δOR 激动剂和 α2AAR 激动剂之间的协同作用。我们在 PKCε 敲除小鼠中测试了一组阿片类和肾上腺素能激动剂的组合,并发现 δOR 激动剂和 α2AAR 激动剂的所有四种组合都需要 PKCε 来实现镇痛协同作用。μOR 激动剂与 α2AR 激动剂的任何组合均不需要 PKCε。免疫组织化学证实,PKCε 可在肽能初级传入伤害感受器中发现,其中 δOR 和 α2AAR 被广泛发现存在共定位。PKCε 在大多数背根神经节神经元中具有免疫反应性,并强烈标记脊髓背角的 I 和 II 层。PKCε 在脊髓伤害性系统中广泛存在,在肽能初级传入纤维中,它似乎专门参与介导 δOR 和 α2AAR 之间的协同相互作用。