title: Nociceptor-Enriched Genes Required for Normal Thermal Nociception.
abstract: Here, we describe a targeted reverse genetic screen for thermal nociception genes in Drosophila larvae. Using laser capture microdissection and microarray analyses of nociceptive and non-nociceptive neurons, we identified 275 nociceptor-enriched genes. We then tested the function of the enriched genes with nociceptor-specific RNAi and thermal nociception assays. Tissue-specific RNAi targeted against 14 genes caused insensitive thermal nociception while targeting of 22 genes caused hypersensitive thermal nociception. Previously uncategorized genes were named for heat resistance (i.e., boilerman, fire dancer, oven mitt, trivet, thawb, and bunker gear) or heat sensitivity (firelighter, black match, eucalyptus, primacord, jet fuel, detonator, gasoline, smoke alarm, and jetboil). Insensitive nociception phenotypes were often associated with severely reduced branching of nociceptor neurites and hyperbranched dendrites were seen in two of the hypersensitive cases. Many genes that we identified are conserved in mammals.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8572, Japan.
authors.forename: Ken
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Honjo
authors.affiliation: Gill Center for Biomolecular Sciences and Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA.
authors.forename: Stephanie E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Mauthner
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA.
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA.
authors.forename: J H Pate
authors.initials: JHP
authors.lastname: Skene
authors.affiliation: Gill Center for Biomolecular Sciences and Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA. Electronic address: dtracey@indiana.edu.
authors.forename: W Daniel
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Tracey
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D017124:Conserved Sequence; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000166:cytology / Q000235:genetics*; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D005260:Female; D055785:Gene Knockdown Techniques; D007814:Larva / Q000166:cytology / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D009024:Morphogenesis; D059225:Nociception; D009619:Nociceptors / Q000502:physiology*; D034622:RNA Interference; D000071442:Taxis Response
chemical_list: D029721:Drosophila Proteins