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Molecular Pain
Published in: Molecular Pain 1/2009

Open Access 01-12-2009 | Research

Conditional gene deletion reveals functional redundancy of GABAB receptors in peripheral nociceptors in vivo

Authors: Vijayan Gangadharan, Nitin Agarwal, Stefan Brugger, Imgard Tegeder, Bernhard Bettler, Rohini Kuner, Martina Kurejova

Published in: Molecular Pain | Issue 1/2009

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Abstract

Background

γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is an important inhibitory neurotransmitter which mainly mediates its effects on neurons via ionotropic (GABAA) and metabotropic (GABAB) receptors. GABAB receptors are widely expressed in the central and the peripheral nervous system. Although there is evidence for a key function of GABAB receptors in the modulation of pain, the relative contribution of peripherally- versus centrally-expressed GABAB receptors is unclear.

Results

In order to elucidate the functional relevance of GABAB receptors expressed in peripheral nociceptive neurons in pain modulation we generated and analyzed conditional mouse mutants lacking functional GABAB(1) subunit specifically in nociceptors, preserving expression in the spinal cord and brain (SNS-GABAB(1) -/- mice). Lack of the GABAB(1) subunit precludes the assembly of functional GABAB receptor. We analyzed SNS-GABAB(1) -/- mice and their control littermates in several models of acute and neuropathic pain. Electrophysiological studies on peripheral afferents revealed higher firing frequencies in SNS-GABAB(1) -/- mice compared to corresponding control littermates. However no differences were seen in basal nociceptive sensitivity between these groups. The development of neuropathic and chronic inflammatory pain was similar across the two genotypes. The duration of nocifensive responses evoked by intraplantar formalin injection was prolonged in the SNS-GABAB(1) -/- animals as compared to their control littermates. Pharmacological experiments revealed that systemic baclofen-induced inhibition of formalin-induced nociceptive behaviors was not dependent upon GABAB(1) expression in nociceptors.

Conclusion

This study addressed contribution of GABAB receptors expressed on primary afferent nociceptive fibers to the modulation of pain. We observed that neither the development of acute and chronic pain nor the analgesic effects of a systematically-delivered GABAB agonist was significantly changed upon a specific deletion of GABAB receptors from peripheral nociceptive neurons in vivo. This lets us conclude that GABAB receptors in the peripheral nervous system play a less important role than those in the central nervous system in the regulation of pain.
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Metadata
Title
Conditional gene deletion reveals functional redundancy of GABAB receptors in peripheral nociceptors in vivo
Authors
Vijayan Gangadharan
Nitin Agarwal
Stefan Brugger
Imgard Tegeder
Bernhard Bettler
Rohini Kuner
Martina Kurejova
Publication date
01-12-2009
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
Molecular Pain / Issue 1/2009
Electronic ISSN: 1744-8069
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/1744-8069-5-68

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