Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
4321109 | Neuron | 2014 | 18 Pages |
•Wnt3a sensitizes peripheral sensory neurons toward nociceptive stimuli•Canonical Wnt signaling in sensory neurons is not involved in hypersensitivity•Distinct noncanonical pathways mediate modality-specific hypersensitivity•Blocking Wnt-Frizzled3 signaling in sensory neurons attenuates cancer pain
SummaryWnt signaling represents a highly versatile signaling system, which plays diverse and critical roles in various aspects of neural development. Sensory neurons of the dorsal root ganglia require Wnt signaling for initial cell-fate determination as well as patterning and synapse formation. Here we report that Wnt signaling pathways persist in adult sensory neurons and play a functional role in their sensitization in a pathophysiological context. We observed that Wnt3a recruits the Wnt-calcium signaling pathway and the Wnt planar cell polarity pathway in peripheral nerves to alter pain sensitivity in a modality-specific manner and we elucidated underlying mechanisms. In contrast, biochemical, pharmacological, and genetic studies revealed lack of functional relevance for the classical canonical β-catenin pathway in peripheral sensory neurons in acute modulation of nociception. Finally, this study provides proof-of-concept for a translational potential for Wnt3a-Frizzled3 signaling in alleviating disease-related pain hypersensitivity in cancer-associated pain in vivo.