Change in MicroRNAs Associated with Neuronal Adaptive Responses in the Nucleus Accumbens under Neuropathic Pain

• DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0921-11.2011
• Publication Date: 2011-10-26T17:05:00Z
• Authors: Satoshi Imai; Mai Saeki; Makoto Yanase; Hiroshi Horiuchi; Minako Abe; Michiko Narita; Naoko Kuzumaki; Tsutomu Suzuki; Minoru Narita
• Keywords: Forebrain

Neuropathic pain is the most difficult type of to control, and patients lose their motivation for purposive pursuit with a decrease in quality life. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging analysis, we demonstrated that blood oxygenation level-dependent signal intensity was increased ipsilateral nucleus accumbens (N.Acc.) following peripheral nerve injury. microRNAs are small, noncoding RNA molecules direct post-transcriptional suppression gene expression, play an important role regulating synaptic plasticity. In this study, found sciatic ligation induced drastic expression miR200b miR429 N.Acc. neurons. The DNA methyltransferase 3a (DNMT3a), which one predicted targets miR200b/429, significantly limbic forebrain including at 7 d after ligation. Double-immunolabeling antibodies specific DNMT3a NR1 showed DNMT3a-immunoreactivity located NR1-labeled neurons, indicating proteins were dominantly expressed postsynaptic neurons area under neuropathic pain-like state. results these analyses provide new insight into epigenetic modification accompanied by dramatic along dysfunction “mesolimbic motivation/valuation circuitry” These phenomena may result increase pain, leads long-term transcription-silencing several genes.