title: Morphological and physiological features of a set of spinal substantia gelatinosa neurons defined by green fluorescent protein expression.
abstract: The spinal substantia gelatinosa (SG) is known to be involved in the manipulation of nociceptive and thermal primary afferent input; however, the interrelationships of its neuronal components are poorly understood. As a step toward expanding understanding, we took a relatively unique approach by concentrating on a set of SG neurons selectively labeled by green fluorescent protein (GFP) in a transgenic mouse. These GFP-expressing SG neurons prove to have homogenous morphological and electrophysiological properties, are systematically spaced in the SG, contain GABA, receive C-fiber primary afferent input, and upregulate c-Fos protein in response to noxious stimuli. Together, the properties established for these GFP-labeled neurons are consistent with a modular SG organization in which afferent activity related to nociception or other C-fiber signaling are subject to integration/modulation by repeating, similar circuits of neurons.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell and Molecular Physiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, USA.
authors.forename: Adam W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Hantman
authors.forename: Anthony N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: van den Pol
authors.forename: Edward R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Perl
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D004594:Electrophysiology; D005727:Ganglia, Spinal / Q000502:physiology; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D008164:Luminescent Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D008239:Lysine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D036421:Nerve Fibers, Unmyelinated / Q000502:physiology; D009474:Neurons / Q000145:classification / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos / Q000096:biosynthesis; D013376:Substantia Gelatinosa / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology*; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D008164:Luminescent Proteins; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid; C013411:biocytin; D008239:Lysine