title: Expression of PSD-95/SAP90 is critical for N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor-mediated thermal hyperalgesia in the spinal cord.
abstract: PSD-95/SAP90, a molecular scaffold protein, attaches the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor to cellular signaling pathways through PSD-95/DLG/Z0-1 domain interactions at neuronal synapses.(5,9) This suggests that PSD-95/SAP90 might be involved in many physiological and pathophysiological actions triggered via the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor in the central nervous system. Here, we present evidence that suppression of the expression of PSD-95/SAP90 in the spinal cord significantly attenuated facilitation of the tail-flick reflex triggered through N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor activation but not baseline tail-flick reflex latency. Moreover, PSD-95/SAP90's messenger RNA and protein were enriched in the spinal cord and selectively distributed in the superficial dorsal horn, where PSD-95/SAP90 overlapped with the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor. In spinal cord neurons, PSD-95/SAP90 interacted with the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor subunits 2A/2B. It is indicated that activation of the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor in spinal hyperalgesia results in association of the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor with PSD-95/SAP90 and that PSD-95/SAP90 is required for noxious thermal hyperalgesia triggered via the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor at the spinal cord level. The present findings may provide novel insights into the mechanisms for persistent sensitization of the somatosensory system.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Blalock 1415, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 600 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21287-4965, USA.
authors.forename: Y X
authors.initials: YX
authors.lastname: Tao
authors.forename: Y Z
authors.initials: YZ
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mei
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Johns
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000076122:Disks Large Homolog 4 Protein; D006930:Hyperalgesia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D008297:Male; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate / Q000378:metabolism*; D020886:Somatosensory Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology*
chemical_list: D000076122:Disks Large Homolog 4 Protein; C501449:Dlg4 protein, rat; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate; C033652:postsynaptic density proteins