Genetic predictors for acute experimental cold and heat pain sensitivity in humans.
BACKGROUND
The genetic contribution to pain sensitivity underlies a complex composite of parallel pain pathways, multiple mechanisms, and diverse inter-individual pain experiences and expectations.


METHODS
Variations for genes encoding receptors related to cold and heat sensation, such as transient receptor potential A subtype 1 (TRPA1), M subtype 8 (TRPM8), V subtype 1 (TRPV1), delta opioid receptor subtype 1 (OPRD1), catechol O-methyltransferase (COMT), and fatty acid amide hydrolyase (FAAH), were investigated in four major ethnic populations.


RESULTS
We defined 13 haplotype blocks in European Americans, seven blocks in African Americans, seven blocks in Hispanic subjects, and 11 blocks in Asian Americans. Further study in European American subjects found significant associations between short duration cold pain sensitivity and variations in TRPA1, COMT, and FAAH in a gender dependent manner. Our observations demonstrate that genetic variations in TRPA1, COMT, and FAAH contribute gender specifically to individual variations in short duration cold pain sensitivity in a European American cohort.


CONCLUSIONS
The effects of TRPA1 variations on experimental short duration heat pain sensitivity may contribute to inter-individual variation in pain sensitivity in humans.
Kim
H
H
Mittal
D P
DP
Iadarola
M J
MJ
Dionne
R A
RA
D000581:Amidohydrolases / Q000235:genetics; D015220:Calcium Channels / Q000235:genetics; D003080:Cold Temperature; D005260:Female; D015894:Genome, Human / Q000235:genetics; D006239:Haplotypes / Q000235:genetics; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006801:Humans; D015810:Linkage Disequilibrium / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D052066:N-Ethylmaleimide-Sensitive Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D010146:Pain / Q000235:genetics*; D017288:Pain Threshold / Q000502:physiology*; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide / Q000235:genetics; D017465:Receptors, Opioid, delta / Q000235:genetics; D000074025:TRPA1 Cation Channel; D050053:TRPM Cation Channels / Q000235:genetics; D050916:TRPV Cation Channels / Q000235:genetics; D050051:Transient Receptor Potential Channels / Q000235:genetics; D044465:White People / Q000235:genetics; D000099252:Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolases
D000581:Amidohydrolases; D015220:Calcium Channels; D052066:N-Ethylmaleimide-Sensitive Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D017465:Receptors, Opioid, delta; D000074025:TRPA1 Cation Channel; D050053:TRPM Cation Channels; D050916:TRPV Cation Channels; D050051:Transient Receptor Potential Channels; D000099252:Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolases; C473350:TRPA1 protein, human; C425966:TRPM8 protein, human; C494482:TRPV1 protein, human