title: Alternative RNA splicing: contribution to pain and potential therapeutic strategy.
abstract: Since the sequencing of metazoan genomes began, it has become clear that the number of expressed proteins far exceeds the number of genes. It is now estimated that more than 98% of human genes give rise to multiple proteins through alternative pre-mRNA splicing. In this review, we highlight the known alternative splice variants of many channels, receptors, and growth factors that are important in nociception and pain. Recently, pharmacological control of alternative splicing has been proposed as potential therapy in cancer, wet age-related macular degeneration, retroviral infections, and pain. Thus, we also consider the effects that known splice variants of molecules key to nociception/pain have on nociceptive processing and/or analgesic action, and the potential for control of alternative pre-mRNA splicing as a novel analgesic strategy.
authors.affiliation: School of Life Sciences and Arthritis Research UK Pain Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK. Electronic address: Lucy.Donaldson@nottingham.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Lucy F
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Donaldson
authors.affiliation: School of Life Sciences and Arthritis Research UK Pain Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK.
authors.forename: Nicholas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Beazley-Long
mesh_terms: D017398:Alternative Splicing; D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D007473:Ion Channels / Q000235:genetics; D010146:Pain / Q000235:genetics*; D059408:Pain Management; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D007473:Ion Channels; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled