title: Phosphorylation of transcription factor CREB in rat spinal cord after formalin-induced hyperalgesia: relationship to c-fos induction.
abstract: The involvement of cAMP-responsive element-binding protein (CREB) signaling in tissue injury-induced inflammation and hyperalgesia has been characterized by measuring phosphorylation of CREB at serine-133 (CREB Ser133) using a specific antibody. In the unstimulated state, unphosphorylated CREB was observed in most nuclei of spinal neurons except for motor neurons, where only a small portion of neurons were stained. A few dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons were also CREB-positive. After a unilateral injection of formalin into the hindpaw, a strong and bilateral phosphorylation of CREB Ser133 was induced, as assessed by both immunohistochemistry and Western blot. PhosphoCREB (pCREB)-positive neurons were found in laminae I, II, V, and X of spinal cord on both sides. CREB phosphorylation was very rapid and reached peak levels within 10 min of formalin treatment, whereas few pCREB-positive neurons were seen in unstimulated spinal cord. The induction of pCREB was predominantly postsynaptic, because only 5% of DRG neurons were labeled after inflammation. In contrast to CREB phosphorylation, the induction of c-Fos expression reached peak levels 2 hr after formalin treatment and c-Fos induction was mainly ipsilateral. Both formalin-evoked CREB phosphorylation and c-Fos expression in the spinal cord were suppressed by pretreatment with the NMDA receptor antagonist MK-801 (3.5 mg/kg, i.p.) or halothane anesthesia. These results suggest that CREB signaling may play a role in the long-term facilitation of spinal cord neurons after hyperalgesia. Furthermore, our results indicate that CREB phosphorylation may be necessary but not sufficient for c-fos induction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA.
authors.forename: R R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Ji
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rupp
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017362:Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein / Q000378:metabolism*; D016291:Dizocilpine Maleate / Q000494:pharmacology; D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D005557:Formaldehyde / Q000633:toxicity; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects*; D016762:Genes, fos; D006221:Halothane / Q000494:pharmacology; D006930:Hyperalgesia / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D010766:Phosphorylation / Q000187:drug effects; D011494:Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D011499:Protein Processing, Post-Translational / Q000187:drug effects*; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos / Q000096:biosynthesis; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D017362:Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein; D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos; D005557:Formaldehyde; D016291:Dizocilpine Maleate; D011494:Protein Kinases; D006221:Halothane